


Going Public

by Kihonne



Series: The Elite Force [3]
Category: Lab Rats (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Season/Series 03, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2016-10-05
Packaged: 2018-08-19 17:18:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 257,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8218856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kihonne/pseuds/Kihonne
Summary: Set after the events of No Going Back, Adam, Bree, and Chase are on the run from the law, while Calla, Leo, and Davenport desperately try to get them home safe. But Douglas is back, and he's got a new partner - someone far more dangerous than anyone they've ever had to face. Can the Lab Rats defeat him and what does he have to do with Kieran Daniels, the new kid at Mission Creek High? They don't know it yet, but the answers to these questions will change their lives forever.





	1. Sink or Swim

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Lab Rats. I only own Calla, Jaden, any other OCs that appear, and anything else you don't recognize.

Calla's POV

Three hours. That's how long we were trapped in that stupid elevator. Between Davenport's crying and the thought of Adam, Bree, and Chase alone and on the run, it was the three longest hours of my life.

"Hey Leo?" I stood up, getting an idea. The smaller boy stood up beside me.

"Yeah?" he asked. I smiled.

"Do you want to do something stupid?" I asked him, a gleam in my eyes. I'd seen this done in a movie once, so we should be able to do it, right? Leo shrugged.

"Will it get us out of here?" He asked. I nodded. "Then sure, why not?"

"Good." I bent down, my hands cupped. "You climb onto the roof of the elevator, and then pull me up."

Leo stared at me as if I was crazy, but did as I asked. When Leo helped me up onto the elevator, it was pitch black. I pulled out my cell phone and activated the flashlight app.

"Now what?" Leo asked, his curious face illuminating by my phone. I nodded at the sides of the shaft.

"There's got to be an emergency switch around here." I told him. "We just need to find it."

Leo nodded eagerly, and started climbing up the shaft. I followed him into the darkness. Thankfully, I wasn't afraid of heights.

"I think I found it!" Leo called. I shone the light at him and saw that he was pointing at two switches. "Which one do I hit?" he asked.

"Pick one and hope it doesn't kill us." I replied jokingly. Leo rolled his eyes.

"Helpful advice." He commented sarcastically. He chose on the switches and flipped it. A second later, the elevator started up. We climbed down into the elevator, landing next to Mr. Davenport with a thud.

"Nice work you two." He smiled at us as the elevator started to move upwards again. It stopped moving a few seconds later. I raised an eyebrow at them.

"Well?" Why weren't they moving? "Aren't you going to open the door for me? It's the gentleman thing to do."

"Yes, but why should we act like gentlemen if you aren't going to act ladylike?" Leo countered. I glared at him while he grinned back at me. He and Mr. Davenport pushed open the door. Tasha was waiting for us.

"Mom!" Leo exclaimed as he flew into her arms. Mr. Davenport hugged her tightly as I stepped out of the elevator.

"I was so worried." Tasha said, holding her family.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Mr. Davenport replied.

"How did you fix the elevator?" Tasha questioned. Mr. Davenport sighed.

"Well, it was incredibly difficult." He started. I snorted. He didn't do anything but cry. "But in the face of great adversity-"

"Calla and I shimmied up the shaft and flipped the emergency switch while he cried." Leo interrupted him.

"I coached them." Mr. Davenport said, then looked around. There was a relieved look on his face. "At least my sprinkler system put the fire out before it could spread to the rest of the house."

Tasha looked at him. "What about the lab?"

Xxx

I couldn't believe it. The lab was completely destroyed. Scraps metal was everywhere, most of it broken and covered in ash and soot. All of the inventions were destroyed, many of them scattered around us. The smell of smoke still hung in the air.

"It's worse than I thought." Mr. Davenport was distraught. And I didn't blame him. A number of my favourite memories had taken place in this lab and the thought of it being…well, gone, was terrible.

"The blast took out everything." Leo was shocked as well.

"It's all just…just gone." I shook my head.

"I can't believe your own brother would do this." Tasha said angrily to Mr. Davenport. "He could have killed you and Leo." I cleared my throat loudly. "And Calla." She added, having forgotten about me. I started to look around, to see if anything was salvageable.

"My Mission Specialist desk." Leo gasped. I turned to see him staring at a warped piece of metal surrounded by shattered glass. "Okay, this just got real. I'm going to hurt Douglas where he lives…as soon as I find out where he lives."

"Leo…" I started to call him back, but he leaned down and picked up what appeared to be a large, flat, black piece of junk. I did a double take when I realized what it was.

"Hey Calla?" Leo looked at me. "I uh, found your laptop."

I stared at it for a second, then looked at Leo. "I'm SO going to make Douglas play for that."

He smirked at the idea as we observed the rest of the lab. "Look at their capsules." We turned to see Mr. Davenport standing where Adam, Bree, and Chase's capsules used to be. "There's nothing left."

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. I whipped my head towards the wall and saw the destroyed screen that used to belong to Eddy. I felt immediately sorry. I'd always hated Eddy, and secretly thought he was evil, but now he was dead. I guess I felt bad for the way I'd treated him.

"Even Eddy's gone." I commented, drawing everyone's attention.

"Yes!" Tasha grinned, then pretended to be upset when she saw that we were all staring at her. "Yes. He will be missed."

"He was my best friend." Mr. Davenport sighed. Tasha was surprised.

"I thought I was your best friend." She objected. He shook his head.

"No, it was him." He replied. Leo and I looked at each other.

"What are we going to do?" he asked. Mr. Davenport sighed.

"There's not much we can do." He admitted. "The house isn't even ours anymore."

Tasha nodded. "Speaking of which, the bank wants us out. I'll go gather what's left of our stuff." She offered. I frowned, turning to Leo and Mr. Davenport.

"I'm seriously questioning how nobody saw the giant explosion. I mean, come on! Don't you think someone would have at least called the fire department?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood. They ignored me.

"All your hard work, millions of dollars worth of equipment…gone." Leo sighed. Mr. Davenport turned to us, a determined look in his eyes.

"All this stuff can be replaced." He reminded us. "Adam, Bree, and Chase can't. We have to find them before Douglas does."

"How?" Leo questioned. "They disabled their GPS signals. They could be anywhere by now."

"We have to try." I told them, following Mr. Davenport to the elevator. "If we disappeared, they would never stop looking for us."

Chase's POV

"Are they gone?" Bree hissed in my ear. We were ducked down behind a box, waiting for all the crew members to leave. A few hours ago, we'd snuck on board as a means to escape the FBI.

"Yes." I whispered back a second later as I heard the door close. I followed my siblings out from behind the boxes, grimacing as I walked on stiff legs.

"Well, after the last six hours, I can confidently say there is no ladylike way to sit on an anchor." Bree complained. I rolled my eyes, plucking some feathers out of my hair.

"What are you complaining about? I had a seagull using my head as a nest." I snapped, tossing the feathers into the ocean.

"Where are we headed anyway?" Bree demanded. I shrugged.

"No idea." When I'd chosen the boat earlier, I had neglected to find out its destination. "I can't pinpoint our locations without our GPS locators."

Adam grinned. "I bet we're going to Acapulco." He said cheerfully. "That's where all the cruise ships go."

"Adam, this isn't a cruise ship. It's a cargo freighter." I explained.

"Well, whatever it is, we're on vacation, okay? I'm making the most out of it." He sat down on a pile of ropes as if they were a chair.

"This is not a vacation!" Bree snapped. "We're hiding from the FBI!"

"And if they find out about us, we'll become government guinea pigs and Mr. Davenport will go to jail." I told him. He rolled his eyes.

"Oh, will you relax?" he replied, making himself comfortable. "Nice to get away every once in a while, isn't it? And where is that waiter?"

I sighed and looked at Bree. "While the crew are below deck, we should try and find some food." I suggested. "We could be here for a while."

Bree nodded. "Right."

A few hours later and we'd found nothing. Crew members had popped up again from time to time, forcing us to hide behind a large pile of crates. I was on lookout, crouched near the top of the pile, when I saw the last of them all go below deck.

"Okay, we're all clear." I told Adam and Bree. "The crew just went to eat."

Adam looked up at me from where he sat on the ground. "If it's lobster, I'm giving us up." He announced as he started to get up. Bree called him back.

"So what's our plan?" she asked, turning to me. I sighed.

"Well, as soon as we get wherever we're going, I guess we just blend in and live normal lives." I said sadly.

"Wait, so does this mean we're done with missions forever?" Adam asked.

"We have to be. Using bionics will only get us caught." I replied. "Man, if I'm not mission leader anymore, then I don't know who I am."

Adam stood up and patted me on the back. "Hey, don't worry Chase." He told me. "You'll have plenty of girlfriendless years ahead of you to figure it out."

"Adam!" Bree scolded, but it was too late. I flinched at his words, my mind going directly to Calla. I could see her clearly in my mind. She was probably at her place right now, having dinner with her brother.

"What?" Adam demanded, turning to face Bree. "It's not as if he's going to find another Calla."

"Yeah, and what are you going to do, except move pianos and mouth-kiss every dog you see?" It was a weak retort, but I couldn't help it. The thought of never seeing Calla again hurt a lot. I briefly wondered what she thought of us leaving. Would she understand or would she be mad? Knowing her, it would likely be the latter.

"Chase?" Bree waved a hand in front of my face. I blinked. "You zoned out on us for a moment."

"Sorry." I apologized, getting back on the topic. "We're just going to have to start living like normal people." I told them. "Kinda sad, isn't it?"

"If by sad, you mean 'Awesome, I finally get to move far away from you two' then yes. Tragic." Bree replied, rolling her eyes.

"You can move wherever you want." I snapped at her. "We're still going to have to spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders."

"Don't be ridiculous, Chase!" Adam said. "They can attack us from the front too!"

I decided not to respond to that bit of stupidity. Suddenly, Adam gasped. "Hey look! I got a bite!" He exclaimed, rushing to a fishing rod leaning against the ship's railing. "Oh, it's a fighter!"

He started to reel in the fish. "Adam, what are you doing?" Bree demanded.

"Deep sea fishing! Come on baby! Come to daddy!" he exclaimed. I grinned. Finally, some food! But that grin wasn't on my face for long, because when Adam pulled the fish on board, it flew right at me. I hit the ground, trying to grab onto the struggling fish.

"They're coming! Hide!" Bree hissed to us as a door opened. I dropped the fish and followed my siblings behind the crates.

The captain walked out onto the deck. He picked up the fish with one hand. "The poor bugger must have jumped right on board." He decided, tossing it overboard. "I can't have a fish stinking up my ship, now can I? Be free!"

We glared at him from our hiding spot. There goes our dinner. I sighed as my stomach growled loudly.

Calla's POV

"Hey Leo!" I called, jogging into the school. He was pushing a cart with some old computer equipment on it. He smiled slightly when he saw me.

"Hey." He greeted. "Please tell me you have good news."

I shook my head. "Sorry. My guest room is currently being used for storage and there's no way we can move all the stuff." I apologized. "But if you're really that desperate, the couch is all yours."

"I might take you up on that offer." Leo said with a smile. I smirked.

"Hey, at least Jaden's coming by with some take-out later, so we won't get hungry." I told him. He frowned.

"We?" he repeated. I nodded.

"I'm gonna stay here all night if that's what it takes. And if this," I placed my hand on the computer "is all we have to find Adam, Bree, and Chase, then you're going to need all the help you can get."

"Thanks Calla." Leo started pushing the cart again. I ran ahead and held the door open.

"No problem." I stepped inside the gym after Leo. "Hey Mr. Davenport! Check out what we found!"

"I found it." Leo snapped. I smirked.

"Yes, but I held the door." I laughed. "Anyway, maybe we can use this to track Adam, Bree, and Chase's last GPS location."

Mr. Davenport looked at the computer cart. "Or judging by its age, the last location of King Tut." He said gloomily. We looked at him. "Sorry guys, I'm just frustrated. Without my stuff, without my lab…this is hopeless."

"Come on Mr. Davenport!" I exclaimed. "You're a tech titan! You built an empire out of nothing!"

Mr. Davenport sat down on one of the cots. "Yeah, but it was so hard!"

Leo sighed. "But you did it." Leo reminded him. "And if you put your mind to it, you can do anything. You're brilliant!"

Mr. Davenport stood up, his confidence restored. "You know what? You two are right. I am handsome and brilliant."

Leo frowned. "Hold on. I never…" I shook my head at him as Mr. Davenport started setting up the computer.

"He's back!" I grinned.

Chase's POV

"I'm so hungry!" Bree complained, leaning against the rail next to me. I nodded my agreement. None of us had eaten anything since breakfast, and it was now late in the afternoon.

"Hey, at least one good thing came from all of this." I said, trying to distract Bree. She frowned.

"And what's that?" She asked. I grinned.

"Haven't you always wanted to go sailing?" I questioned. She laughed just as Adam walked up behind us. He was carrying a large crate.

"Guys, we're in luck." He announced. Both Bree and I looked at him hopefully.

"You found food?" I gasped. Adam shook his head.

"Even better." He replied. He opened the crate to show us its contents. "A crate full of boomerangs."

We shook our heads at him. Bree turned to me. "If he should mysteriously disappear at sea, it was me." She said in a very serious tone.

Adam grinned and pulled out a few boomerangs. "Time for target practice." He threw them into the sky, then shot at them with his laser vision. He hit them all dead on, except for the last one. He accidently hit a seagull instead.

"Good news Chase, you don't have to worry about that seagull anymore." He chuckled. Bree grabbed him by the arm.

"Knock it off!" she ordered as he tossed another boomerang. "We're making too much noise and we all agreed that we weren't going to use bionics."

Suddenly, I noticed the boomerang coming at us out of the corner of my eye. We ducked just in time to avoid being hit, but the boomerang went right through the window on the door. Adam stood up first, gaping. "Whoa! It's like that boomerang came right back at us!"

We glared at him as the crew ran onto the deck. "Freeze!" The captain ordered. We all looked at each other worriedly. Crap. We'd gotten caught. "Call the coast guard." The captain told one of the crew members. "We've got ourselves some illegal stowaways."

"What are we going to do?" Bree hissed. Adam looked at us.

"Guys, I've got this." He turned back to the captain, a fake smile on his face. "Sir, we are not stowaways, we are cruisers. I'm Bob Dunwoody from Tampa, Florida. This is my wife Joan," He put his arm around Bree "and our lovely daughter, Piper."

I glared at him. "Adam!" I snapped.

"Not now Piper. The grown-ups are talking." He told me, turning back to the captain.

He was not amused in the least. "Look, I don't know who you are or how you got on my ship, but the coast guard's coming and they'll find out." He told us angrily. He turned to his crew members. "Keep an eye on these criminals."

We all stood there in awkward silence for a minute before Adam broke it. "So, where are you from?" he asked. Bree rolled her eyes.

"Adam! I can not believe you got us caught!" She exclaimed, staring at him.

"When the coast guard gets here, they're going to trace us back to Davenport and we'll be right back where we started with the FBI knocking on our door!" I shouted.

"Calm down! We'll just escape." Adam told me. Bree crossed her arms.

"We're in the middle of the ocean. Where are we going to go?" she demanded. Adam sighed.

"Well, we can't go home." He said after a moment. "Tampa's miserable this time of year."

Suddenly, there was a loud alarm. "Shh. Hold on." I hushed my siblings, listening in on the crew's conversation. "Something's wrong."

"Listen up men." The captain walked out of his office. "The coast guard's going to be a while. There's a submarine that lost control and is speeding towards the ocean floor. If it hits, it'll wipe out the entire crew. Poor guys." He sighed, then headed back up to his office. "Well, I've got to go up here and moisturize."

The coast guard was going to take a while. That was good thing. I felt bad for the people on the submarine, but there wasn't anything we could do. But the delay might give us enough time to escape.

"Okay, that bought us some time." I told Adam and Bree. "I'll scan the ship to see if there's a life raft we can escape on."

They both stared at me as if I was crazy. "Forget us. We have to rescue that sub." Bree exclaimed.

"We can't. I'd have to enable my GPS and if I did, it would give our location to the FBI." I objected.

"But it's what we do." Bree argued. I shook my head.

"It's what we used to do." I corrected. "Just let the coast guard handle it. We can't save the world anymore!"

Adam gave me a stern look. "Piper, do not take that tone with your mother."

I rolled my eyes at his attempt of a joke. I started scanning the ship for the life raft, but couldn't stop thinking about that submarine. Those poor people…

Calla's POV

"Here you go." I held the object in my hand out to Mr. Davenport. He looked at it, then at me.

"What is this?" he asked, completely confused. I frowned.

"You said you needed something to help power the computer." I answered. He nodded.

"Yes. And you brought me a toaster." He said matter-of-factly. I nodded.

"Well, yeah. It could be a power source." I replied. He raised an eyebrow. "I'll show you."

After attaching the cables and wires in the right spot, the computer lit up. Mr. Davenport stared at it in amazement just as Leo walked in.

"Principal Perry was hogging the internet in her office, so I snuck in and plugged in our wire instead." He informed us. "Turns out, she's a day trader for the Japanese stock market."

Mr. Davenport quickly accessed the internet and started tracking Adam, Bree, and Chase's GPS signals to their last known location. "That did it. We are now able to pinpoint their exact location when they turned off their GPS."

He looked at us. "You know, with my genius, Calla's ability to turn household appliances into power sources, and Leo's ability to follow wiring, we make a great team."

Leo and I smiled proudly as Principal Perry ran into the room. "Did you three snag my internet?" she demanded.

"Principal Perry, we just…" Leo started to explain, but she just pushed him out of the way.

"Get out of my way, gym-squatters. My online auction is about to close." She went back to her online auction, and grinned when the winner sign came up. "Whoo-hoo! I got it!"

"What did you win?" I asked curiously. She grinned.

"A slaughter house." She replied. I backed up a little, suddenly afraid. She turned to Mr. Davenport. "This stuff ain't cheap. Get me my money!"

She ran out of the room as we started typing again. After a moment, we were able to get their location. "Their last known location was at the port. They must have jumped on a ship."

Leo went through the port logs. "It says there were three freighters that left around the same time. They've got to be on one of them." Leo announced. I sighed.

"That's great and all, but how are we supposed to find them? Even if we knew which boat they were on, how are we going to get to it?" I questioned.

Mr. Davenport looked around with a grin. Then he grabbed me and Leo by the shoulders. "I have a secret." He whispered excitedly. "I have a helicopter I keep stashed away for special occasions and nobody knows about it!"

Leo and I looked at each other, smiling. "We have a secret too. We know." I told Mr. Davenport.

"We use it on weekends." Leo smiled nervously. "Last weekend we dumped a galleon of Adam's expired milk onto Trent's porch."

Mr. Davenport glared at us. "Oh, come on!" He ordered, rushing out the door with me and Leo on his heels.

Chase's POV

I sighed, twiddling my thumbs. We'd been sitting here for four whole hours now and no one had come to get us yet.

The captain walked over to us just then. "Good news. The coast guard's bringing another ship to arrest you. Well, good for us, bad for you." He chuckled. "I guess I should have just said bad news."

Bree looked at him. "Wait, what about the submarine?" she asked. He stopped laughing.

"It doesn't look good. It's tough being this close and realizing there's nothing anyone can do to help." He sighed and walked back over to his crew. Adam and Bree looked at me expectantly.

"Chase, we have to do something." Bree told me.

"Yeah, we're the only ones who can save them." Adam agreed. I sighed.

"You do realize that we'd be giving ourselves up? Our lives will be over." I reminded them.

"We have no choice!" Bree argued. "People are in trouble and I would rather rot in jail knowing that we did the right thing."

"Me too." Adam stood up. I sighed and stood up.

"Who am I kidding? Of course we have to help." I said. "Bree, how fast can you subdue the crew?"

"Look who you're talking to!" Bree exclaimed. "Fast is my middle name."

"Lucky!" Adam whined. "Mine's Charles."

I ignored him. "Adam, once I give you the coordinates, use your strength to repel yourself deep enough to reach the sub. Then you can divert it to the surface."

Adam nodded. "Got it. And you can boss people around like you usually do."

"I do not boss people around!" I snapped. "I lead. I'm a leader."

"Oh, yes you are." Adam started to make fun of me. "Aren't you?"

I slapped his hand away. "Come on!" Bree exclaimed before speeding towards the crew. She grabbed a rope, tied them all together, and then locked them below deck.

"Done." She announced. "Your turn!"

I nodded. "Alright. This is it. I'm activating my GPS." I focused, activated my bionics, and connected to a satellite. Quickly, I sent the sub's coordinates to Adam.

"Oh!" Adam laughed. "Got them!"

"Let's do this!" I said. Adam ran to the railing, but Bree stopped me.

"Wait. Chase, we've never trained for an underwater rescue mission." She reminded me.

"I know. We're just going to take our chances." I told her.

"CANONBALL!" Adam shouted, jumping into the water. We both ran to the rail.

"And right now, I'm not really liking our chances." I bit my lip nervously. This could go wrong very easily.

Calla's POV

I looked out over the ocean, searching for a boat. After searching the first ship top to bottom, we had gone out after the second one. Yawning tiredly, I checked my phone again. The time read 12:33 am.

"Well, that first ship was a bust." Leo commented from the front seat. "This is going to take us all night."

"Technically, it's already morning. But he has a point. There's got to be a faster way to do this." I said, looking at Mr. Davenport.

"At least we have the radio." He said optimistically. He pressed a few buttons and a voice came on over the speakers.

"You're listening to another Donald Davenport audio book: How to Make A Billion Dollars." The voice said.

"Oh, we need to turn this up. You could use a refresher." Leo smirked, reaching for the dial. I laughed just as a beeping noise came from my phone. I checked it, then checked it again to make sure I wasn't just imagining it.

"It's Chase's GPS signal!" I exclaimed. "It's back on!"

"If they turned on their GPS signals, that means they're in trouble!" Mr. Davenport shouted. I leaned forward and programmed Chase's location into the onboard GPS. "Hang on guys!"

Chase's POV

"We can track the sub on our sonar scanner." I told Bree as a virtual computer screen appeared in front of us. It showed the submarine's position, along with Adam's.

"Okay Adam, it's five hundred feet away." I started the count down. "Four hundred. Three hundred. Two hundred. One hundred. Fifty."

Two seconds later, the submarine shot up onto the surface. "They're safe!" "Yes!" Bree and I cheered, hugging each other.

"You know, no matter what happens to us, it was worth it." Bree grinned. I nodded.

"Yeah. Mr. Davenport would be proud." I agreed.

We waited for a moment. "Hey, where's Adam?" Bree asked. I looked at her, then the water. "Adam?"

"Adam?" I called. Nothing. "Adam!"

A feeling of dread washed over me. How could I be so stupid! I should have sent him down there with some oxygen, but I was so caught up in the moment that I forgot. "He's been down there to long." I said. "No one can go that long without oxygen."

Bree looked at me, horrified. "This can't be happening." She said, tears in her eyes.

"I should have never sent him down there." I breathed. "It's all my fault."

I stared out at the water with Bree. How could I have let this happen? Some mission leader I was. Some brother too.

"What are we staring at?" A voice whispered. Bree and I spun around to see Adam standing behind us, soaking wet.

"ADAM!" Bree screamed, punching him. "WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"

"How did you survive so long without oxygen?" I demanded.

"By breathing underwater." He replied, sounding as if it was obvious. Bree and I looked at each other. Since when could he do that? "Wait, you guys can't?" Adam stopped, then turned to me. "Wait, you didn't know that and you sent me down there without any oxygen?!"

"Of course not!" "No! Congratulations buddy!" Bree and I lied, chuckling. Adam grinned as Bree ran and got him a towel.

"Well, I guess we're back to using our bionics for missions." She smiled as she tossed the towel to Adam. He sighed.

"Great, now it's a working vacation." He complained. "You just can't unplug anymore. I blame the internet."

I rolled my eyes. "Now it's time for our next mission. Finding a life raft and getting off this ship."

We ran to go find one, but stopped as the door to below deck flew open. The captain stood there, glaring at us. "Don't move!" he shouted.

I looked at Bree. "I thought you tied them up!"

"I said I could tie fast, not well." She replied guiltily. Suddenly, the sound of a chopper filled the air. We all looked up to see a helicopter flying directly above us. But it wasn't just any helicopter. Mr. Davenport was in the front seat, tossing a rope ladder down to us.

"It's Mr. Davenport!" Bree exclaimed.

"Quick! Climb on!" He ordered as the rope ladder hit the ground beside us. Bree looked at us.

"Later!" she called, speeding up the ladder. Adam pushed the crew back before running for the ladder, tossing his towel at me.

"Adam, wait!" I exclaimed as the ladder started to rise.

"You're not going anywhere!" The captain shouted at me. I threw the towel at him and ran, jumping onto the rope ladder. Just as I thought I was home free, the captain grabbed me by the leg, stopping me.

"Adam, help!" I called out. Adam looked down.

"Well, I know you're pathetically weak, but can't you at least try kicking free?" he demanded. I looked down and kicked the captain in the ribs. He stumbled back and the ladder began to rise again.

This time, he managed to grab hold of the ladder. Adam pulled me inside the helicopter and released the ladder. The captain fell into the ocean with a splash.

"Whoops." Adam said, looking down. "Hey, at least that shark broke his fall!"

I chuckled and smiled at my siblings. "It is so good to see you guys." Mr. Davenport said, looking over his shoulder. Adam patted him on the back.

I frowned. "Hey Mr. Davenport, where are Calla and Leo?" I asked. Shouldn't they be here? I couldn't really imagine them staying behind.

"Oh, they're waiting for us at one of my offshore facilities." He replied. "We're going to have to hide out there because the FBI is on our tails."

All because of us, I thought to myself. Mr. Davenport smiled at us.

"Relax. You're safe now." He assured us. We all nodded, making ourselves comfortable. I laid back, deciding to get some sleep. I smiled as I closed my eyes, unable to think about anything but the fact that I would get to see Calla again.

Calla's POV

"I don't get it. How can they not be here?" Mr. Davenport demanded. I frowned, checking my phone again. I'd lost Chase's signal a few minutes ago and I couldn't get it back.

We walked onto the deck and I immediately noticed a large, bald man with a towel wrapped around him. "Hey!" Leo exclaimed, running over to him. "We're looking for three kids, two guys and one girl. Have you seen them?"

The man glared at us. "Of course I've seen them."

"Well, where are they?" I demanded.

"They just got on a chopper." He informed us, looking directly at Mr. Davenport. "With you."

We backed away from the creepy man a bit. "With me?" Mr. Davenport repeated. Suddenly, I remembered something. Something terrible.

"Your cyber mask." I realized. Mr. Davenport and Leo looked at me. "It was stolen from your warehouse a couple of weeks ago, remember?"

"And we all know who would have stolen it." Leo nodded. I gulped. We were too late. Douglas had Adam, Bree, and Chase.

"What are we going to do?" I demanded. "We have no idea where they are, or where Douglas is taking them! They probably haven't even realized that they're in any danger yet!"

"Calla, calm down." Mr. Davenport told me. "Let's get back to the school, then we'll figure something out."

"But-" there had to be more that we could do!

"Calla, come on." Leo nodded to the helicopter. I sighed and followed him.

Chase's POV

Mr. Davenport led us down through the facility. It wasn't very big, or very welcoming, but it was better than the ship.

"So, this is where we'll be hiding from the FBI." Mr. Davenport announced, leaning against a desk. "What do you think?"

"I think we should update our tetanus shots." Bree replied. Mr. Davenport's smile fell slightly. I looked around, expecting Calla or Leo to pop out from behind one of the boxes. But they were no where to be found.

"Hey, where are Calla and Leo?" I asked. "I thought you said they would be here."

Mr. Davenport smiled. "Yeah, I kind of lied about that." He tapped his neck and his face seemed to glitch. Suddenly, it wasn't Mr. Davenport smiling at us. It was Douglas. I realized with a start that we'd been tricked by Mr. Davenport's cyber mask. We all stepped back. Douglas chuckled. "Guess who."

"Whoa!" Adam laughed, not realizing what was going on. "Awesome mask, Mr. Davenport!" he looked at us. "He looks just like his evil brother that captured us!"

We all looked at him. "That is his evil brother!" "And he did just capture us." We told him. Adam's smile fell as he turned to look at Douglas.

"Oh. Good one." He glared at him. "I did not see that coming."

Douglas shrugged. I looked at him. "I don't get it. I thought you were an ice cube in Mr. Davenport's warehouse. How did you get out?"

Douglas smirked. "I had a little help." He admitted.

"It doesn't matter!" Bree snapped, stepping forward. "We'll destroy this rat trap, just like the last one."

"Yeah, thanks for that. I didn't even have time to back up my music. Twenty years of up-tempo jazz, gone!"

I looked at him. "Yeah, well I know something else that's about to be gone."

Adam grinned. "Yeah. Let's get his reggae too."

I rolled my eyes at that. "Get him!" Bree shouted.

We ran at him. "Now!" Douglas shouted and a large man walked out from behind his computer. He was wearing a large black hoodie and a white face mask. He raised his hand, there was the sound of static, then nothing.

Xxx

"Wakey, wakey, eggs and baky." I woke to thee sound of Douglas' voice. I groaned, sitting up. Adam and Bree were waking up beside me. "Actually, it's just an expression. All we have to eat around here are nuts, berries, and the occasional barbequed iguana."

Adam stood up and glared at Douglas. "Taunting us with non-existent breakfast foods? You really are evil!" he exclaimed. "But I will take that barbequed iguana."

"Wait!" I jumped to my feet, Bree right behind me. "Who was that guy?" I demanded.

"Oh, that's right. You haven't been formerly introduced to my partner. Krane, come say hi to the kids!" Douglas called.

Adam frowned. "Wait, now we have three dads?" he asked. No one was about to waste their time explaining it to him.

Douglas' new partner walked into the room, wearing the same thing as before. "After I was booted from Davenport Industries, I needed cash to continue my research." Douglas explained. "Luckily, I found a billionaire who believed in me. Say hello to my colleague, benefactor, and all around bad guy, Victor Krane!"

Adam frowned. "Why's he wearing a mask?" he asked the question that was on all of our minds.

Krane pulled back his hood and removed the mask. I grimaced. Half of his face was covered in these weird looking scars.

"Dude, I have got to get you into a dermatologist." Douglas said, gesturing at the scars. Krane glared at him.

"What is that stuff all over your face?" Bree asked. Krane looked at us.

"You're no longer the only humans with bionics." He told us. Douglas sat down at the desk.

"Krane agreed to fund my work so long as I shared my research with him. He implants every piece of bionic technology I design to make himself more powerful." He explained.

I smirked. "Well, I hope he got a good personality, because what's on the outside, YIKES."

No one so much as smiled. "Enough!" Krane growled at us. He looked at Douglas. "Let's go. We have work to do."

He left the room without another word. Douglas grinned at us. "Isn't he cool?" he asked. We glared at him in response.

"You can bring out all the freaks you want. It's not going to keep us here." Bree told him. Douglas chuckled.

"I beg to differ." He replied, hitting some buttons on his keyboard. Suddenly, the ground beneath us lit up and two large metal hoops levitated off the ground. The spun around us like some sort of cage.

Adam grinned. "Cool! Giant ring toss!" he looked at Douglas. "I've got to give you credit. You're evil, but fun."

Douglas rolled his eyes. "They're titanium energy rings. They create an impenetrable force field that nothing can escape."

"I smell a challenge." Adam said in a sing-song voice. He tried to step outside the hoops, but jumped back when they electrocuted him.

"I smell burning flesh." Douglas said in the same tone as Adam.

"What do you want with us this time, Douglas?" Bree demanded. He shook his head.

"Oh no. I'm not falling for that. First I tell you my plan, then something goes wrong, then you use it against me! Not gonna happen!" Douglas shouted. Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

"It doesn't matter what you're planning. I'm sure that Mr. Davenport is looking for us already. He'll be here any minute to take us home."

Douglas chuckled. "Oh yeah. There's no place lie home." He picked his tablet off of the desk and walked over to us. "No seriously, there's no place like home. I blew it up."

He showed us a clip on the tablet. Fire was exploding from one side of the lab and quickly spreading across the room. We all stared at it in shock.

"You destroyed our lab?" Bree gasped.

"Yep. I hope you backed up your music libraries." He replied. I glared at him, thinking of Calla, Leo, and Mr. Davenport. If they were in there when the blast happened…if anything happened to them, I would kill Douglas myself.

Calla's POV

"You okay, Leo?" I asked, climbing out the of the helicopter. He groaned and shook his head, still looking a little green.

I smiled sympathetically at the younger boy and followed Mr. Davenport inside. He ran and hugged Tasha the minute he entered the house.

"Please don't text him to hurry home while we're in a helicopter." Leo asked her. "I left my lunch all over the Henderson's roof."

Tasha looked between us. "So what happened? Where are the kids?"

"Douglas got to them before we did." Mr. Davenport told her. She stared at him.

"Your brother again?" she demanded. He nodded. "Okay, you are done complaining about my mother."

Mr. Davenport sighed. "We have no idea where they are, but they're smart. They will figure out a way to escape." Leo and I looked at him. "Well, two of them will."

Tasha nodded. "I do have some good news. The FBI finished their investigation and proved you were cyber-hacked."

We all grinned. "So I'm getting all my money back?" Mr. Davenport was overjoyed. Tasha shook her head.

"No. All the money was stolen. You're still broke." She told him. Damn. There goes my pay check.

"But I'm getting all my stuff back, right? My boats, my cars, my planes?" Mr. Davenport grinned.

"Just the house." Tasha replied. His smile fell. "Everything else, including Davenport Industries is gone. But the good news is that now we can all move back in together."

Mr. Davenport stared at her. "Not even a jet ski, or a motorcycle with one wheel?" he asked. She ignored him.

"So what are you going to do about the kids?" She asked.

"Well, they're not going to come back here, because they still don't think it's safe." Leo sighed.

"I just wish we could send them a message or something. You know, to tell them that everything is alright." I spoke my thoughts aloud. Mr. Davenport thought about that.

"Well, the only thing I can do remotely is…update Chase's software. Wait, maybe that's it. Maybe I can imbed a cyber message into the update. All we need is a computer." He said, looking around.

"Got it." I said, pulling out my phone. I dialled Jaden's number. He picked up on the second ring.

"Where have you been all night? I went to the school, and you weren't there." he demanded, sounding both angry and worried. He reminded me of Mom that time I forgot to tell her I was going over to Bree's.

"Mr. Davenport's helicopter, looking for Adam, Bree, and Chase." I replied.

"Any luck?" Jaden asked, his attitude changing from angry to concerned.

"Nope. But we have an idea. But I need you to bring me some things." I told him.

"Right. Give me a list." He replied.

"Mom's laptop. That's a must." I looked at everyone's tired faces. "And can you grab some coffee while you're at it? No one slept at all last night."

"Right. I'll be right over." Jaden promised.

"Thanks bro." I hung up and looked at everyone. "Now we just have to wait."

Chase's POV

"I can't believe the lab is gone." Bree murmured, still shocked. She looked at Douglas. "That's our home!" she shouted.

"If anything happened to our family, I will end you." I promised him.

"Yeah!" Adam agreed. "And then we'll put your body in an old lady dress, so everyone laughs during your funeral!"

"Guys, guys. I understand you're mad. But what's done is done. So let's focus on moving forward together." Douglas suggested. "First order of business, what do you say we make Mondays family game night?"

Adam grinned. "This guy. Still evil, still fun." Douglas smirked and headed into the other room. I frowned. There was this weird, tingling sensation at the back of my neck, right where my bionic chip was. Was that a software update?

"Guys, something's happening to me. I'm getting a tingling sensation." I said, still frowned. Adam grinned.

"Aww. You hear that Bree? Pretty soon he'll have a baby moustache." Adam grinned. Bree laughed and wiggled her finger under my nose as if it was a moustache.

I slapped her hand away. "No! I just got a software update on my chip. That's really weird. Why would I just…" then it hit me. "Wait. Mr. Davenport must be trying to send us a message."

I activated my bionic computer and played the message for us all to see. It was from Mr. Davenport.

"Guys, I know Douglas has you." He said. "Calla, Leo, and I are doing everything we can to find you, but if you can escape, come home. Perry's agreed to keep our bionic secret…" Mr. Davenport looked around, then started speaking to someone off camera. "Can we do that again? I just feel like this hologram makes me look fat."

I shut down the message and looked at Adam and Bree. "They're okay!" I exclaimed.

Bree frowned. "Was he wearing guy-liner?" she asked. I ignored that.

"Now we just have to find away to get out of here." I muttered. Adam looked at me.

"What if I use my blast wave ability to destroy the rings?" he suggested. Bree and I looked at him as if he was crazy.

"Well, if you do that, you'll destroy the rings and everything around us. Including us." Bree informed him. He nodded.

"But we'll be free." He insisted. I took a deep breath.

"Here's an idea. How about we come up with a plan where we escape and survive?" I suggested. Adam sighed and let the matter drop. Bree looked at me.

"Wait a second. If these rings are titanium, can't you just use your magnetism app to repel them apart?" She asked.

"Douglas would expect that. Just like he would expect me to use my telekinesis to manipulate them." I muttered.

"So do both. He wouldn't expect that." Adam suggested. I shook my head.

"Adam, you can't use two abilities at the same time." I told him. Bree looked at me.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because…I don't know." I admitted. "We've never tried it before!"

"Well, I say you try it now and if your head explodes, the survivors," he gestured to Bree and himself "will move onto plan B."

I sent him a glare. "Okay. I'll give it a try."

I looked at the rings. "Activating magnetism app." I announced. I didn't miss the fact that Adam and Bree stepped as far away from me as they could. I focused on the rings. "And telekinesis."

Pain shot through my head as I tried desperately to make the rings fly apart. "Focus Chase!" Adam hissed.

"When you tell me to focus, it makes me not focus!" I snapped. Head aches made me very irritable, and Adam talking wasn't going to help.

I turned back to the rings, activating both apps again. "You can do it." Bree whispered.

"STOP TALKING!" I shouted, not taking my eyes off the rings. The pain in my head was growing worse, and for a second I thought that Adam was right about my head exploding.

Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, the rings bent and I managed to make them fly across the room. "Way to go Chase!" Bree congratulated, her voice sounding far away.

"Oh man!" Adam's voice was also distant, and getting quieter by the second. "I thought for sure his head was going to explode!"

That was the last thing I heard before everything went dark.

Douglas' POV

"They escaped!" Krane growled upon seeing the broken rings and empty room. I, however, wasn't all that surprised.

"It doesn't matter." I said wit ha smile. "While they were knocked out, I reinstalled their Triton app. I'll finally be able to override their bionic infrastructure remotely."

Krane looked at me. "This better work." He told me. "I paid you a lot of money for your little Triton app."

I grinned. "Oh, it will work. Get ready, because you're about to find out what this Triton app can really do. Adam, Bree and Chase are completely under my control."

Chase's POV

I woke up in the back of a helicopter. Adam and Bree were in the front seats, the latter steering the machine.

"Guys?" My head was spinning. I sat up and placed my head in my hands.

"Oh look! He's not dead!" Adam exclaimed. Bree grinned.

"Thank god. Calla would have killed us." She muttered.

"What's going on? Where are we?" I demanded. "And since when can you fly a helicopter?"

"Um, you passed out, we stole Douglas' helicopter, and we're flying back home. And there's an instruction manual under the seat." Bree replied. I looked at her.

"It takes years to learn how to fly one of these." I told her. She shrugged.

"Well, I am a fast learner." She joked. "And we haven't crashed yet, so I think I'm doing okay."

I looked around. Bree seemed to be actually doing an okay job. She was going at a normal speed, which was unusual for her, and we were flying at an average height. "How long until we get home?" I asked. I saw Bree smile.

"We're here." She announced, hovering over the helicopter landing pad on Mr. Davenport's roof. "And it's a really good thing you woke up when you did."

"Why is that?" I asked. She laughed nervously.

"I have no idea how to land this thing." She replied. I rolled my eyes and showed her how land the helicopter. We then hopped out of it, and ran for the front door.

"You ready?" Bree asked us, her hand on the doorknob. Adam and I nodded and she opened the door.

"We're home!" Bree sang, peeking her head in. Mr. Davenport and Tasha were on the couch, Calla and Jaden were sitting at the counter sipping some coffee, and Leo was carrying a box into the kitchen.

"Well that didn't take long." Leo said with a smirk, putting the box down. We ran to give everyone a hug, even Jaden. I jogged over to Calla, who wasn't as pleased as I thought she would be.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" she told me, her arms crossed. I smiled sheepishly.

"Calla-" I began, but didn't get to finish because she threw herself at me, her lips crashing into mine.

"Seriously Chase. Don't do something like that to me again." She whispered, pulling away and burying her face in my shoulder.

I chuckled and kissed her on the forehead. "I missed you too." I murmured. She smiled and leaned in for another kiss.

"Are you guys okay?" Mr. Davenport demanded, looking at all of us. I let Calla go, taking her hand instead.

"We're fine." I assured him. "But Douglas has a new partner."

"Eh, I give it six months." Adam said. "The big one is super high maintenance."

He walked towards the kitchen, grabbing a coffee cup. "He's some crazy billionaire named Victor Krane and he's implanting himself with bionics." I explained.

"His face is really disturbing." Bree commented to Mr. Davenport. "I mean, he could definitely use some of your man make-up."

Mr. Davenport looked at her. "I do not wear…it's bronzer!" he objected. Bree, Calla, and Tasha all exchanged amused looks.

"Krane must be the guy who helped Douglas escape from your warehouse." Leo realized. Mr. Davenport frowned.

"I've never even heard of him, but I'm going to find out who he is and how to stop him." He promised us, running over to a laptop that sat on the kitchen counter. Tasha looked at us.

"You guys must be starving. I'll get dinner started." She offered. Bree followed her to the kitchen. Calla grinned.

"Finally. Everything's getting back to normal." She smiled, letting go of my hand. She kissed me once and headed over to help her brother unpack some dishes from a box. I started after her, but something stopped me. Three sinister words appeared on my onboard computer: Triton App Activated.

Calla's POV

"Then the lab blew up. Even my laptop was destroyed!" I exclaimed. I had been going over what happened to us while everyone was away. Adam and Bree had a lot of questions, but Chase was oddly quiet for some reason. I just shrugged it off. Maybe he was tired or something.

"And then we got trapped in the elevator." I continued. "Mr. Davenport confided his deepest secrets with us." Adam and Bree looked at me curiously. "Hiding you three in the basement, not even top ten."

Chase suddenly stood up and turned to me. I frowned. I'd looked into those eyes a million times, and never before had they been green. "Hey, what's up with your eyes?" I asked.

Chase grabbed me roughly by the arms and pinned me against a wall. I struggled in his grip. "Chase, you're hurting me." I told him. His grip tightened. "Letting go would be nice."

Adam and Bree stood up all of a sudden, but apparently I was the only one who noticed. Leo and Jaden were by the fridge, talking about what they wanted for dinner, while Tasha and Mr. Davenport were talking in the dining room. Adam walked over to Mr. Davenport and threw him into the wall.

"Adam, please don't throw him. You know how delicate your father is." Tasha scolded. Mr. Davenport looked at Adam, then at Chase who was still pinning me painfully to the wall.

"What's happening?" I demanded. Mr. Davenport's eyes lit up with realization.

"Douglas must have enabled their Triton app! Look at their eyes!" He shouted. "He's controlling them!"

I saw Bree turn to face Jaden and Leo. "Guys, watch out!" I shouted. They jumped out of the way just as Bree sped at them. She missed by half an inch and went flying over the counter.

"Hey, anyone want to explain why Bree's trying to kill us?" Jaden called. I sighed.

"Their evil dad brainwashed them!" I replied, explaining it without all the technical terms. Jaden gulped and backed up as Bree stood up and glared at him and Leo.

I looked at Chase with a nervous smile on my face. "You wouldn't really hurt me, would you?"

To my surprise, Chase let me go. For a second, I thought that maybe he wasn't under Douglas' control. Then he punch me in the face.

I fell backwards onto the ground, holding my cheek in surprise. Chase hit me. He actually hit me! Well, technically, it was Douglas who was making him do that, but that still didn't make the sudden pain any less shocking. "You know what? I'm just going to run now."

I scrambled to my feet, running as fast as I could. I ended up running into my brother. "Calla, are you okay?" he demanded, ducking as Adam shot a laser at him. I clutched his shirt and looked behind me. Chase was a little preoccupied, shooting a plasma ball at Leo.

"Oh, I'm fine." I replied sarcastically. "My boyfriend tries to kill me all the time. Move!"

Jaden and I jumped to the side as Bree ran at us. Suddenly, something grabbed my arm and pulled me backwards. I landed on the floor, looking up at Chase's unfamiliar dark green eyes.

"Um, hi." I jumped to my feet, narrowly avoiding a plasma ball. "Hey, can't you try and kill Leo? He's the annoying one!"

"I heard that!" Leo shouted from where he and Jaden were trying to dodge Bree's attacks. I backed away from Chase as he advanced on me.

"You know, normal couples solve their problems by talking things out. Or therapy. I could totally pay for therapy." Usually, if anyone had dared to hit me, I would have already tackled them to the ground in revenge. But this was Chase, and I couldn't hurt him.

From what I could see, it looked like Adam, Bree, and Chase had their own individual assignments. Adam was sending lasers at Tasha and Mr. Davenport, who were using kitchenware as shields. Bree was trying to take out Leo and my brother, both of whom were running out of steam quickly.

And of course, I had Chase all to myself. Under normal circumstances, I would be thrilled at the thought. Right now, I was honestly wondering if Douglas had ordered Chase to attack me out of spite. Suddenly, a blurry movement caught my eye.

"Leo, ground!" I shouted. Leo hit the ground just as Bree went sailing over his head. Leo sent Mr. Davenport a glare.

"Okay, you and your brother just need to hug this out!" He exclaimed as Mr. Davenport dodged one of Adam's lasers.

"Agreed!" "Leo's right!" Jaden and I called. I jumped back as Chase used his telekinesis to send a box at me.

"Okay, if you're not going to attack Leo, what about Adam?" I suggested, still backing up. "Adam, tell him he has a tiny, doll-like body!"

Adam, of course, was busy trying to kill Mr. Davenport and Bree. Suddenly, I hit the wall behind me. I gulped. There was a stack of boxes on either side of me, and my brain-washed boyfriend right ahead. I was trapped.

Chase lifted hand and a box lifted above my head. "No, no, no. Seriously, if you can just put that down over by the couch…" I pleaded.

"Calla!" Jaden shouted. Mr. Davenport, who had ducked behind the counter for safety, looked at me when he heard Jaden call my name.

"Chase, don't drop it!" He shouted. Chase looked at Mr. Davenport. "Listen to me. The Triton app only controls your bionics, not your human side. You have to fight it."

Chase's glare turned back to me, but I was already clinging to Mr. Davenport's words like a lifeline. "Yes, Chase. Remember all the great times we had? All the amazing inventions we built?" I searched my mind desperately. "The time Jaden caught us kissing on the porch and he attacked you with a Nerf gun?"

Mr. Davenport shook his head at me. I had to admit, not the best example I could have come up with. "Okay, not really that cool, but we were together!"

Chase started to slowly lower the box. "It's not working!" I cried out, staring at with wide, frightened eyes. That box was full of all the household appliances, like the toaster and microwave. If it fell on me…

"Calla, keep trying! It's our only chance!" Mr. Davenport shouted at me. I took a deep breath and looked at Chase.

"Chase, I was your first friend. I met you long before Leo did and I've always been there for you! Even when Adam and Bree were making fun of you because of your intelligence, I was right by your side, insulting them right back."

I could see a little conflict in Chase's eyes, but the box was still getting too close for comfort. "Chase, remember when we first met, all those years ago? Remember the first time we danced together?" I could feel the tears in my eyes. "Chase, don't you remember our first kiss?"

Chase hesitated. "Chase, try and remember!" Mr. Davenport yelled, ducking to avoid another laser.

I took a deep breath. "Chase, you've got to remember that kiss, at least! You and me, together, alone in the lab…" Chase looked conflicted again. I took a deep breath. "Chase, I know you can hear me. You mean everything to me, and I know I mean just as much to you. Come on Chase! I know my boyfriend's in there! Where is he Chase? Where's the boy that I fell in love with?"

Chase hesitated again, but didn't stop. I looked at him, suddenly sure that I could bring him back. I grabbed him by his shirt, pulled him towards me, and put as much passion and emotion into the kiss. I pulled away as second later, stepping back. "Come back to me, Chase. Please."

Suddenly, the box above me went flying across the room. Chase's hand dropped limply to his side. He stared at me for a moment with glazed eyes, before collapsing.

"Chase!" I exclaimed, rushing to his side. I tapped his cheeks a few times. "Come on Boy Wonder. It's time to wake up now."

Chase's POV

"Come on Boy Wonder. It's time to wake up now." I opened my eyes at the sound of Calla's voice. She was kneeling above me, tears in her eyes and a bruise forming on her cheek. I reached up and touched it softly.

"Who hit you?" I asked. She laughed, a sound of pure relief and wonder.

"He's okay." She called over her shoulder as she stood up, offering me her hand. I sat up and instantly regretted it as my head started throbbing painfully.

"My head is killing me." I complained.

"You can blame that on Douglas' Triton app." Calla explained. I frowned at her.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned. She stared at me as Mr. Davenport, Tasha, Leo, and Jaden ran over.

"You don't remember anything?" Mr. Davenport asked. I shook my head.

"No." I replied. Calla sighed.

"Well, that was a waste of the perfect dramatic romance moment." She muttered under her breath. Suddenly, Adam and Bree ran towards us. They stopped, staring at us with blank, green eyes.

"Bree?" I questioned, sensing that something was very wrong. "What's wrong with your eyes?"

"Douglas is controlling them! You have to fight back!" Mr. Davenport told me. I stared at him.

"I can't fight them! They're my-" I was interrupted when Adam sent a laser right at us. I pushed Calla out of the way and hit the wall as a searing pain struck my right side.

"Behind the couch, now!" Jaden ordered, pulling his sister with him. Everyone ducked behind it, just as Adam and Bree started to advance on me. Thinking quickly, I sent one of the large crates at Adam, slamming him into a wall.

He pushed it out of the way and sent another laser at me. I brought my shield up just in time to block it. Adam started to step closer, his laser intensifying. I grit my teeth, trying to keep the force field up.

"Adam's too strong!" I heard Mr. Davenport say to the other. "Chase can't hold out too much longer."

Like I really needed to be told that. I continued to back up as Adam's laser got stronger. I hit one of the stacks of boxes. "Ah!" There was no way I could do this for more than a few more minutes.

"Can't we do something?" Calla demanded. She started to stand up, but Jaden pulled her back down. Good. At least she wouldn't get herself hurt.

Douglas's POV

I watched as Adam got closer and closer to defeating Chase. His laser was at about half-strength, so when Chase's force field hit, he wouldn't be permanently damaged.

"Dial up his power." Krane ordered, glaring at the screen.

"But it's not safe. That could really damage him." I objected.

"Now!" Krane shouted, snatching the control device from my hands. I looked at him.

"You know there's a nicer way to say that." I told him. He glared at me as he increased Adam's power.

Chase's POV

I could feel Adam's laser vision grow in strength. "Adam, stop it!" "You're hurting him!" Leo and Calla were shouting, trying to convince them to knock it off.

"Can't you just talk them out of it, like Calla did with Chase?" Tasha demanded. Like Calla did with me? I would have to ask her about that later.

"There's no time!" Mr. Davenport replied. Leo's face lit up with an idea.

"Wait, if Douglas is controlling them, can't Chase do the same thing? He's got that override app that takes over their bionics in an emergency." Leo suggested. Not a bad idea.

"It's too dangerous!" Mr. Davenport shook his head. "He can't use two abilities at the same time!"

"No! I've done it before!" I shouted at them. Mr. Davenport looked at me in shock.

"Wait, why would you do that? It puts too much stress on your system! You're lucky to be alive!" He exclaimed. Calla looked at him.

"Hey, why don't you yell at him when he's not FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE?!" She shouted. I glanced at them as Adam's laser got too strong.

"I've got no choice! I have to try!" I yelled, raising a hand to my forehead. I narrowed my eyes and focused, trying to ignore the furious pounding in my head.

"I believe in you Chase!" Leo exclaimed.

"STOP TALKING!" I shouted back.

"You can do it!" Calla called. I glared at Adam and Bree, trying to focus.

"Activating override app." I growled through clenched teeth. I focused on Bree first, and she hit the floor, unconscious. I felt a wave of dizziness spread over me and my force field weakened. At least I didn't pass out like last time.

"Hurry! Your force field is about to collapse!" Leo shouted.

"See, I told you, if he uses two abilities at the same time-" Mr. Davenport started, but was interrupted.

"Shut it!" Calla, Jaden, Leo, and Tasha shouted.

Taking a deep breath, I focused on my older brother. "Activating override app." I muttered. His laser stopped and he collapsed to the ground.

"Yes!" "He did it!" Everyone cheered. I ignored them, feeling myself sway. Suddenly, my arm was being wrapped around someone's shoulder.

"You okay?" Calla asked me, leading me to the couch while everyone else tried to wake Adam and Bree up. I nodded weakly, sitting down.

"Yeah, I'm okay." I assured her, pulling her into my arms. She smiled and kissed me. And it was as if everything around us melted away simply because we were together again.

Douglas's POV

"No!" I exclaimed, slamming my fists down on the desk. Krane looked at me, obviously not pleased. I gulped nervously. "Look, I can fix this. I'll just update the Triton app."

"Do it." Krane ordered, handing me the control device. "And when you're done, destroy Adam, Bree, and Chase."

I stared at him, surprised. "What?"

"You heard me, genius." Krane replied.

"But that was never part of my plan." I objected. Krane looked at me.

"Your plan?" he questioned, chuckling. "Your plan is done. We're going with my plan now."

Then he flipped the table across the room, my laptop going with it. I stared at him. How could he want me to destroy the kids?

Calla's POV

"Are you sure?" Mr. Davenport asked again. Adam, Bree, and Chase all nodded.

"We need to do this." "We're sure." "Please?" they replied. Mr. Davenport nodded.

"Alright. I'll show you the lab." He agreed. All of us, expect Jaden who was sent out to get pizza, stepped into the elevator. Mr. Davenport hit the button that would bring us down to the lab, then turned to face all of us.

"This Krane person seems extremely dangerous." He said. "With him and Douglas still out there, we're all going to have to watch our backs more than ever."

Bree looked at him. "Quick question: is anyone on your side of the family not a deranged maniac?"

I stifled a laugh, but Mr. Davenport ignored the question. Tasha looked at Adam, Bree, and Chase.

"Do you guys remember anything that happened when that Triton thingy was going?" she asked. Adam looked at her.

"Tasha, we just got home. What's with the third degree?" he asked. Tasha rolled her eyes.

I looked at Chase, but stopped myself before I asked him if he remembered anything. I wasn't sure if I wanted to know. Because if he DID remember everything, then he remembered the 'where's the boy I fell in love with' bit. And when I actually told him (as in, when I'm sure he'll remember it) I want it to be a little more special than that.

The elevator dinged as we hit the lab floor. Mr. Davenport looked at Adam, Bree, and Chase worriedly. "Guys, what you're about to see is pretty disturbing." He warned them. I felt Chase's grip on my hand tighten.

The doors opened to reveal the destroyed lab. They walked in slowly, taking in the wreckage.

"Wow." Bree murmured. Mr. Davenport sighed.

"The whole reason I built this place was to protect you and I couldn't even do that." He said. "I feel like I've failed you."

Adam smirked. "Well, I'm glad someone said it." He joked. Chase looked at Mr. Davenport.

"You didn't fail us. If you hadn't brought us together as a family and let us live like normal kids, we would never have been able to defeat the Triton app." Chase told him.

Mr. Davenport smiled and put his arms around Chase and Tasha. "Thanks guys." He said. "You're right. I am handsome, and brilliant."

Chase frowned. "I didn't…" Leo stopped him with a shake of his head.

"Let him go. It's how he goes." We all pulled in for a hug, which of course was interrupted by my very loud and annoying text alert. They all chuckled as I removed myself from the group hug to check my messages.

"Jaden's back with the pizza. One large meat lovers, one large pepperoni, and a small Hawaiian." I announced. Adam and Leo both grinned and bolted for the elevator, the rest of us trailing after them.

"I really missed you." Chase whispered in my ear, hugging me from behind. I smiled and leaned into his embrace. "I was afraid I was never going to see you again."

"Chase, please. It's going to take more than an ocean and a crazy billionaire to keep us apart." I laughed, turning around and leaning in for a kiss.


	2. Jet Wing

Chase's POV

"So, I've got ten bucks on electrocution." Calla commented, watching Mr. Davenport, Leo and Adam in amusement. They were trying to reactivate one of Mr. Davenport's broken inventions. I smirked.

"Ten bucks on a fire." I replied. Calla laughed lightly as Mr. Davenport reached for his screwdriver. He leaned in to adjust something and…

ZAP! "Ow!" Mr. Davenport jumped back, shaking his hand. Calla looked at me.

"That'll be ten bucks." She smirked. I rolled my eyes. She looked up at Mr. Davenport. "Was that last of the items?" she asked. He nodded, glaring at the junk hatefully.

"Great! Everything in the lab is officially useless and I don't have any money to repair it." He complained.

Leo looked at him. "I know my mom didn't marry you for your money, but I haven't been putting up with your antics for nothing."

Bree sat down at the counter while I went to grab some water from the fridge. "Mr. Davenport, take your time with the lab. We don't mind staying up here." She told him. "I mean, it won't make up for living in a basement for sixteen years, but it's a start."

Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes. "We don't have time." He snapped. "Your capsules have regenerative capabilities. They're crucial to your bionic infrastructure."

Adam frowned. "Huh?"

I rolled my eyes. "Let me help you." I offered. "CAPSULE GOOD!"

Adam nodded. "But I haven't been in my capsule all week and I feel fine." Bree objected.

"Well, it's only a matter of time before your bionics go haywire." Mr. Davenport said.

"Do you know when exactly?" Adam asked. "Because I have a hair appointment on Tuesday and if I glitch in the chair, I'm just going end up looking like that train wreck." He said, gesturing at me. I sighed in annoyance.

"Look, I get it! I'm short, I look like a lady golfer, and I've got a terrible haircut. What else have you got?" I demanded, glaring at him. He smirked.

"How long do you have?" he replied. Everyone laughed except for me and Calla. She looked at him sternly.

"Adam, I happen to like his hair." She scolded him. He sighed.

"Fine. He's a short, lady golfer with okay hair. Happy now?" he asked her. She smiled.

"Yep." She replied. Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes at that little exchange.

"Look, the longer you go without your capsules, the more likely you'll glitch. So, don't use your bionics until I get enough money to rebuild the lab." He ordered. Adam grinned.

"Uh-oh. I feel a glitch coming on." He announced before punching me in the arm.

"Ow!" I exclaimed, glaring at him. "You know what? I feel one coming on too." I snapped, pushing him off his seat. He got to his feet.

"Hey, it's not funny when your hurt me. It's just rude." He actually sounded hurt as he walked off into the other room. Seriously?

Calla chuckled. "I'll get him back in here." She offered. "Adam! Jessica sent you a text!" She called. Adam ran in and grabbed his phone.

"No she didn't." he frowned when he realized that he had no new messages. Calla frowned.

"Oh, sorry. She texted me. My bad." She lied, trying not to laugh. I smirked.

Mr. Davenport sighed. "Tasha!" he called. She walked into the room. "Okay everyone. Family meeting time."

We all sat down on the couch. Mr. Davenport looked at Calla, who hadn't moved. She smirked.

"It's so cute how you think I might actually leave." She replied. He rolled his eyes, but didn't complain about her staying. Adam raised a hand.

"Adam, you don't have to raise your hand to speak. Just talk." Mr. Davenport told him. Adam shook his head.

"No, I've got nothing to say. I'm just airing out my pits." He replied. Mr. Davenport frowned, but continued.

"Okay, the reason I've called this meeting is because we have to make some changes, starting with some cutbacks in the family budget." We all nodded. That made sense. "That includes losing our cell phones."

We all stared at him. "Did you not hear me?" Bree demanded. "I just moved out of a basement! I need this phone!"

"I don't get it. Why is this happening?" Adam asked. I sighed.

"PHONE GONE. WE POOR NOW." I explained. He nodded, understanding. Leo stood up.

"Guys, stop complaining. This is what you do for family. You make sacrifices." He reminded us. Mr. Davenport patted him on the back.

"This includes you too." He informed Leo. Leo stared at him.

"I barely know you people! I'm keeping my phone." He said, glaring at us in case we tried to object.

"Don't worry. Donald and I will be giving up our phones too." Tasha assured us. Mr. Davenport smiled at her.

"Well, you will." He commented. "Look, the sooner we get money, the sooner we can get back to our regular lives. But we need cash. Any ideas?"

"Win the lottery?" Calla suggested. Mr. Davenport looked at her. "What? It could happen."

"Hey, why don't you do a stunt, like that guy on TV did?" Leo asked. "You know, the one that made a lot of money for walking on a tight rope across the Grand Canyon?"

Adam grinned. "Ah. I see where you're going with this." He said. "We find that guy and rob him!"

We all looked at him. "Or, Big D could do a similar stunt." Leo said. Adam frowned.

"We can't rob Mr. Davenport. He's broke. Were you not listening?" Adam demanded. Mr. Davenport looked at Leo.

"That kind of stunt could attract a new sponsor that would have enough money for us to build a new lab. That's a great idea Leo." He grinned. Leo smiled.

"Just give me my cut when you get your money." He replied, sitting down next to Calla and I.

Mr. Davenport picked up his IPad. "I have been working on a prototype, fibre-glass, jet wing. It uses two micro-jet engines to allow a human being to fly like an airplane. Check it out." He explained, showing us a model. It looked very cool, and a stunt with that device would definitely attract a lot of attention. "This is it. I, Donald Davenport, will attempt the first ever jet wing flight over Mission Creek."

Tasha looked upset. "Oh, no." she said. "I am not letting my husband do something that dangerous-"

"You can host the paper-view webcast." He offered. Tasha smiled.

"Up, up and away!" she grinned. I looked at him.

"Are you sure about this? That thing hasn't even been tested." I warned him.

"I can't let my family suffer anymore." He replied. Bree looked at him.

"Then skip the jet wing and give us our phones back!" she snapped. Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes.

"Look, we need to find sponsors quickly though." He said. "Calla, that's your job."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Sir, I don't mean to be disrespectful or anything, but I don't work for free." She said. He looked at her.

"I can't afford to pay you right now Calla." He reminded her. She crossed her arms.

"I know." She replied. "So, I've got an idea."

"Let's hear it." Mr. Davenport sighed.

"I'll work for free until you get your money back." She offered. "But after that, I want a raise. A big raise."

"Deal." He agreed. She grinned and got up.

"Come on Dooley. I've got a few ideas where we can get sponsors." I frowned.

"And you can't get sponsors by yourself?" I asked. Calla smirked.

"Well, Leo's apparently really good at getting sponsors. Remember the school's save the school's Save The Gym campaign? He was the biggest donation collector." She replied. Leo grinned proudly.

"Four dollars and sixteen cents." He announced. I smirked, remembering how he had to beg his grandmother to get that money. Adam grinned.

"Yeah, we're getting out lab back!" he shouted, standing up with his arms in the air. We all high fived him, much to his confusion.

"What? No, guys. Again, just airing out the pits." He said. We all backed away.

Bree's POV

"Ughh. What could Principal Perry want now?" I grumbled as Adam and I walked into the gym. She'd called us at our house, very early, for us to come to the school. It had better be for a good reason. As we walked in I noticed that the gym was covered in streamers and garbage.

"Oh goody." She grinned upon seeing us. "Dirk and Widget are here."

I rolled my eyes. "What do you need us for on a Saturday that can't be done on a regular school day?" I questioned, getting right to the point.

"I need you to be my bionic servants."

I sighed. Exactly what I expected. "Oh, good. For a second there, I thought this was going to be a waste of our time."

"Hey, since your daddy can't pay me to keep your bionic secret, I'm getting my money's worth out of you two." She replied.

"Look, we're supposed to go watch our dad perform this big jet wing stunt today. He's been preparing for it all week." I told her. Hopefully, she'd let us go to see the stunt.

"Aww, I'm sorry." Principal Perry mocked us in a baby voice.

"This isn't fair!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, well neither is paying for twelve donuts when you've only sucked the jelly out of one of them!" She snapped back. I glanced at Adam.

"Don't you have janitors to do this stuff for you?" He asked.

"Yeah, but they're at my house trying to make something look like an 'accident'." Principal Perry informed us. I tried not to think about what that something might be. "So I'm going to have you two do their work for them!"

"That's illegal." I pointed out. She grinned.

"So is being a robot." She hissed. Adam and I both sighed.

"We are not robots. We are bionic." I corrected.

"That's exactly what a robot would say." Principal Perry whispered in return.

I groaned in annoyance and crossed my arms. "Anyway," Principal Perry continued. "The gym is trashed after last night's basketball game and my midnight 'book club', so I'm going to need you two to clean it up before school on Monday morning."

Adam and I shared a look as she shoved a garbage bag into my hands. "Speed feet, you're on trash duty. Lurch, you're with me. There's something under the bleachers that I need dug up and reburied."

Adam grinned and followed her eagerly to the bleachers. I looked around at the gym. This was going to take all day!

Chase's POV

"Okay, have you double checked the ear pieces?" Calla asked. I nodded, handing one to her just as Mr. Davenport walked over.

"I still can't believe you two only managed to get one sponsor." He commented. Calla and Leo turned to him.

"You're lucky we got one! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a sponsor for an old guy who thinks he can fly?" Leo demanded.

"The best you could do was Go Go Global Pack and Ship?" He questioned. Leo nodded.

"Yup. Now, you only get paid if you survive, but if you don't, they'll ship your remains to your home state for free. Hawaii and Alaska not included." He replied. "You're also obligated to say 'Go Go Global Pack And Ship' throughout your flight."

I chuckled. "It's going to be hard for him. He's not used to promoting anything but himself." I said to Calla. She laughed lightly, then checked the computer.

"Two minutes to launch." She announced, heading behind the control panel to help me with some last minute set ups. "So, do you really think he can do this?" She asked. I shrugged.

"Honestly, I have no idea." I replied. "Alright, you set the screens up and I'll get audio."

"On it." Calla sat down and started typing at the computer while Leo gave Mr. Davenport a pep talk. Tasha ran over a second later.

"Alright guys. We're about to start the webcast." She announced. "'Tasha Davenport presents: Look out Below, A Jet Wing Catastrophe'!"

Mr. Davenport paled slightly. "It's just for ratings!" Tasha assured him. Calla looked at me, suddenly alarmed.

"He's not going to vomit up there, is he? Because some people do that when they're nervous, and I don't have an umbrella…" She trailed off. I could see the amusement in her eyes.

"He's not going to be sick. I hope." I told her before turning to Mr. Davenport. "Your helmet cam is up and running. Calla and I will man mission control and queue you when it's time for you to release your parachute for landing."

"Okay." Mr. Davenport said, his voice small. Calla handed me a pair of head phones.

"Are you ready to roll, Big D?" Leo asked Mr. Davenport. He nodded.

"I can do this. I can do this." He said, pulling his helmet on. He gave us a little salute as the broadcast started.

"We wait with baited breath," Tasha said to the camera "as Donald Davenport, husband of witty yet fashionable reporter Tasha Davenport prepares to launch for the first ever Jet Wing flight across Mission Creek."

The cameras turned on Mr. Davenport. He smiled nervously and waved at them. Confetti cannons went off, and then he started to thanks everyone who showed up. Leo groaned.

"Why is he stalling?" He questioned. Calla smirked and held up a remote with a red button.

"He can stall all he likes. I've got the launch button." She reminded us. Leo looked at her.

"I thought I was going to get to press it!" He objected. Calla narrowed her eyes at him.

"If I'm going to do this all for free, I'm going to get to send my boss to his possible death." She stated before pushing the button. Mr. Davenport flew into the sky, screaming his head off.

"Calla!" Mr. Davenport yelled. She smiled innocently.

"You're welcome." She replied.

Bree's POV

"And we're done!" Jaden announced, tossing his garbage bag onto the garbage pile.

"Thanks for coming when I called." I smiled at him. He shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"No problem." He replied, taking mine and throwing it on top of his.

"Okay, how many pounds of gun can one school possibly chew?" I demanded. Adam sighed.

"It's Saturday. I'm not doing math." He told us. Jaden smirked, but I knew that Adam wasn't kidding. Suddenly, Adam's arm started to spasm.

"Dude, what's up with your arm?" Jaden asked. Adam shrugged.

"Probably just a twitch." He replied. "I use my right arm a lot. It's my second favourite."

That 'twitch' then sent a plasma grenade at the nearby water fountain.

"See! This is what Mr. Davenport was talking about!" I exclaimed. Jaden frowned.

"He was talking about smoking water fountains?" He questioned. I rolled my eyes.

"No. When we don't sleep in our capsules, we glitch. Like Adam just did!" I explained quickly. Jaden looked worried.

"Oh crap." He muttered. "And I'm guessing that using your bionics all day wasn't a very good idea."

"Nope." I replied, glancing at Adam.

"Look, I'll be fine." He assured me. "Let's just go and watch Mr. Davenport's flight."

We started to leave but Principal Perry stopped us. "Nice work you three. And thanks for taking that water fountain out. I've been meaning to get a coin operated one before the next heat wave." She commended.

I sent her a fake smile. "Great. See you Monday."

"Freeze!" She stopped us. "You haven't gotten to my personal to-do list."

"Personal?" I repeated. "But Principal Perry, we've been using our bionics a lot today and Mr. Davenport wants us to-"

"Not my problem, pinky-man-boots." She interrupted. I glanced down at my boots. They weren't for men! "Now use your super speed to get me some fresh gaolie from Mexico."

I sighed and did as she asked. I was back seconds later, holding the bowl of gaolie. I handed it to her and she checked whether or not it was made in Mexico. She took a bite and then spit it out.

"Cilantro? I hate Cilantro! Take it back, andelai, andelai!"

"You keep it." I replied. Suddenly, I found myself running into the lockers. Adam and Jaden turned to me as I hit the floor. I sat up and looked at them.

"Okay. Either I just glitched, or these lockers are out to get me." I said as Jaden rushed over to help me up. Principal Perry ignored us and turned to Adam.

"Alright fire face. Years of using public showers have left me some very persistent toenail fungus. Use your laser vision to burn it off." She ordered.

"Aren't you afraid I might burn off a toe?" Adam asked, desperate to not do the job. She shrugged.

"Nah. I'm more worried about separating the fungus from the shoe."

Chase's POV

"How're you doing Big D?" Leo asked, about twenty minutes into the flight.

"I don't know what I was worried about! This is awesome!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed. Calla cleared her throat. "But not as awesome as the low, low prices at Go Go Global Pack and Ship!"

I grinned. "We are going to make a fortune." I told him. "Tons of people are tuning into the live webcast."

"Of course they are. I'm amazing. But not as amazing as shipping your valuables with Go Go Global Pack and Ship."

I sighed. He'd already advertised the company eight times, as he was supposed to, but it was starting to annoying.

"Alright, enough coasting. It's time for some extreme free-styling. Get ready world because I'm going to slather up this stunt with some Davenport butter!"

"Gross." Calla commented as he went higher and higher.

"Mr. Davenport, I wouldn't-"I tried to warn him, but he hit some turbulence. Suddenly, there was a beeping noise and an object fell from his belt. Unfortunately for him, that object was his parachute.

"What was that?" He demanded.

I exchanged a look with Calla and Leo. "That was your parachute."

He started screaming. "Not to worry." I tried to calm him down. "You're fine for the moment. You'll just continue at jet speed…until your wings run out of jet fuel."

Leo put his hand over his microphone so that Mr. Davenport couldn't hear him. "What happens then?" It sounded like he already knew the answer, but just wanted confirmation.

"Then he'll crash." I replied in a light tone. Mr. Davenport started crying.

Tasha was suddenly cornered by her camera man. She walked over to us while we were trying to help Mr. Davenport. "…have exclusive access to Mission Control, where I'm sure they have everything under control."

A microphone was shoved in front of my face. Calla, Leo and I froze, staring at the camera. Calla, who was by far the best improviser, took the microphone.

"We're…we're mulling our options." She said vaguely. Tasha was not pleased by that answer. She covered the microphone with her hand and glared at Calla.

"Mulling your options?" She repeated angrily. "That is my husband up there!" Calla shrugged nervously.

"Hello, someone needs to come up with an option fast because there is jet fuel leaking inside my flight suit." Mr. Davenport hesitated. "Nope. Not jet fuel."

"Again I say gross." Calla muttered.

"This is all my fault. It was my idea to send him up there." Leo said.

"No argument here." "You should feel ashamed." Calla and I said at the same time. Leo stared at us.

"Mr. Davenport, we're just going to have to use our bion-" Calla put her hand over my mouth, eyes darting towards the camera. Leo turned to us, completely unaware that we were still on camera.

"Chase, you can't show the world your bion-" Calla's other hand covered Leo's mouth. She looked pleadingly at Tasha, who led the cameraman away. Calla removed her hands.

"You three call Adam and Bree and get me out of the sky!" Mr. Davenport shouted.

"Well, we'd love to, but someone took away our cell phone service." Leo commented.

"Really? Guilt? Now?" he demanded. "Calla!"

"I can't exactly call someone who doesn't have a phone." She replied. Leo pulled off his head set.

"I'll go get them." He offered. "Keep his hopes up."

Calla and I sat down as Leo ran off. Calla thought for a minute, then grinned. "Sir, if you, you know, die can I have all the plans for your prototypes? I mean, you won't have much use for them from beyond the grave, and there's no reason why I shouldn't be rich."

"Calla!" I exclaimed. "Leo said to keep his hopes up."

"Oh, right." She nodded, then repeated her question in a more cheerful tone.

Bree's POV

"AHHH!" Principal Perry ran out of the other room and ducked behind me and Jaden with Adam walking behind her. "Get away fro me freak! He keeps firing his lasers!"

I laughed. "Principal Perry, calm down. He's not attacking you!"

Adam accidently sent a laser our way. I ducked to avoid it. "Okay, he's attacking you."

Suddenly, Leo ran in. Principal Perry pushed me towards Adam, grabbed Jaden and Leo and started to use them as human shields. "Dooley, Parker, help. The machines are turning against us. We've got to get my cats and make for my bunker is Sacramento."

My bionics started to glitch again an I found myself slamming into various objects. "What's going on?" Leo demanded. Adam quickly caught him up to speed. I stumbled dizzily towards them.

"I am starting to think Mr. Davenport was right about our capsules." I mumbled as my legs buckled. Jaden caught me before I could hit the floor.

"Okay, everyone focus." Leo ordered. "There's an emergency. Big D needs you." He told us.

"Oh! That's good! Use them as bait so us humans can get away!" Principal Perry exclaimed. Leo sighed.

"They're not machines." He told her. "And Davenport needs their help, or he's a goner."

Principal Perry's eyes widened. "What? No! He can't be a goner! Don's my cash cow and I'm not done milking him yet! We've got to get there fast!" She ran at me and tried to climb onto my back. "Saddle up Bessie!"

I pushed her off. "Why don't we all just run?" I demanded, not waiting for an answer. We ran out the door, heading towards the Go Go Global Pack and Ship parking lot.

Chase's POV

"What the hell?" Calla said suddenly. I looked up to see a very strange sight. Adam was walking towards us, a metal tin over his eyes. Leo was pushing him along. Jaden was with them, carrying Bree piggyback style on his back.

"Should we even ask?" Calla questioned as they walked over to us. Leo sighed.

"Yeah, we have some serious problems." He informed us. "Adam's heat vision is glitching up, Bree's bouncing off the walls, and I saw Principal Perry's bare feet, and can I just say – AHHH!" He started clawing at his eyes. Calla frowned at Bree.

"So, why is Jaden your personal taki?" she question. Bree smirked, her arms wrapped around Jaden's neck.

"I can't run into inanimate objects if I'm not on the ground." She replied. I looked at Adam.

"What's on your face?" I demanded.

"It's a hub cap. It's the only thing I could find that would shield my heat vision." He explained. There was a zapping sound. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

"Guys, I can't keep circling above you. I'm almost out of fuel. What's the plan?" Mr. Davenport questioned.

"We're working on it." I told him before turning back to my siblings. "Leo, Calla and I have run through every possible scenario and they all end with a Donald Davenport memorial bridge."

Leo stared at me. "We can't just let him fall. Use your magnetism app!"

"I can't! The Jet Wing is made of fibre-glass, not metal." I reminded him.

'Well, we have to do something. The whole reason he did this ridiculous stunt was to get the lab back for you guys!"

"Leo's right." Bree agreed, still letting go of Jaden. "Mr. Davenport put his life on the line for us."

"Yeah. Plus he's our dad." Adam agreed. "Wait, technically, he's not our dad. Why are we here again?"

"Okay, well you guys are going to need to use your bionics. But not with all these people around." Jaden said. Leo nodded.

"I'll take care of this." Leo offered. He walked to the center of the parking lot. "Okay, attention! I'm going to need everyone to clear this space out immediately."

Nothing. Calla smirked. "Watch this." She whispered to me. She grabbed her chair and stood up on it. "Free snacks inside!"

Everyone rushed to get into the building. Calla sent Leo a cocky smirk and climbed down from the chair. Adam grinned.

"Hey guys! Good news; if he does crash, I found this adorable little tote bag that we can collect his pieces in." He held up the parachute that Mr. Davenport dropped. Leo, Calla and I stared at him.

"Adam, where'd you get that?" Leo questioned.

"I found it on the side of the road next to the hub cap." He replied. I snatched the parachute out of his hands.

"Adam, that's not a tote bag! That's the parachute that fell from Mr. Davenport's Jet Wing!" I snapped. I turned to Calla. "We've got to find a way to get this to him."

"Why don't you just give it to him when he lands?" Adam suggested. We all looked at him.

"Hey, why can't Adam use his strength to launch it back up to him?" Leo suggested. I grinned.

"Yes! I'll calculate the coordinates and guide his throw." I placed the tote bag in Adam's hand.

"Be on the lookout Mr. Davenport. One parachute coming your way." Calla told Mr. Davenport.

"Copy that! I'm ready!" He replied. I pulled Adam's arm back and quickly calculated where it would need to go.

"Alright, here we go. Three…two…one!" We threw the parachute into the air. "Adam, great job. It's heading straight for him."

Adam grinned. "Cool! Let me see!" He lifted the hub cap off his face and a laser shot out of his eyes. It hit one of the Jet Wing's wings, knocking Mr. Davenport off course.

"Oops." Adam said guiltily. "I'm just going to pull this back down." He pulled the hub cap over his eyes. Meanwhile, Mr. Davenport was screaming again.

"Relax Mr. Davenport, I have a plan." I assured him.

"If your plan was to be fatherless, it's working!" He snapped as Tasha ran over to us.

"Why aren't you saving him? Can't any of you fly?" She demanded. We shook our heads. "What do you do in that basement all day?"

Principal Perry ran up, gasping for breath. We ignored her. "I can try to use my telekinesis to slow his descent, but he's still going to hit too hard." I told them. Leo's face lit up with an idea.

"Wait, we are in the parking lot of a shipping store we can use cardboard boxes to break his fall!" He suggested.

"And tape." Adam added. "To put it back together!"

We all ignored him. "Let's go!" Jaden exclaimed, finally putting Bree back on the ground. They, along with Calla, Leo, Tasha and Principal Perry ran to get the boxes. I raised my hands to the air just as Mr. Davenport ran out of fuel.

"Mr. Davenport, try to aim for the crash pad." I told him, using my telekinesis to slow him down.

"It's working! I'm slowing down." He exclaimed. "I'm releasing the Jet Wing so it won't crush me on impact."

"We're good to go." Bree told me as she, Leo, Jaden and Calla ran over to me. "The boxes are set up as a…"

"Something wrong?" Jaden asked as she trailed off. She looked worried, but I tried to ignore her. My head was already pounding and I did not need to add anything to that headache.

"I feel a glitch coming on!" She exclaimed. Jaden, thinking on his feet, grabbed a large cardboard box and covered Bree with it. He held it down as it shifted.

"I bet she looks stupid." Adam laughed. Jaden rolled his eyes and moved as Leo pushed Adam towards the box. He leaned against it, successfully holding Bree down.

"Chase, what's wrong?" Trust Calla to notice that I was struggling. I spared her a small glance.

"I think my bionics are glitching too." I replied, feeling the sweat pour down my face. Suddenly, I lost my telekinetic grip on Mr. Davenport.

"What's happening? I'm free falling again!" He shouted as he fell through the air. I wiped the sweat off my brow and out my hands up again.

"Do something!" Leo shouted at me. I focused and regain my grip on Mr. Davenport.

"It's working! I'm going to make it. I'm going to live." Mr. Davenport said as my vision started to blur. Once again, I lost my telekinetic grip.

"Falling again! Not going to make it! My life is over!"

"Damn it." I cussed under my breath, focusing harder.

"What, no. I'm fine. I'm okay. I'm a goner!"

I stumbled back, the world spinning around me. "I can't control him anymore." I murmured before blacking out. I woke up on the ground what was probably a minute later.

"Calla?" She was standing above me, blue eyes watching me with concern.

"You really need to stop fainting. Seriously, you miss all the good stuff." She commented, offering me a hand up. I took it and looked around. The pile of boxes was still up, and everyone was crowded in a small circle. I followed Calla over to the circle and found Mr. Davenport lying on top of Perry. Adam and I helped him up.

"Is he dead?" Principal Perry asked. I smiled.

"No." Thank god for that.

"Am I dead?" She asked. Leo frowned.

"Unclear, but just to be safe, we should probably proceed with a burial."


	3. Mission: Mission Creek High

Chase's POV

"Would you guys hurry up?" Calla exclaimed, running down the hallway with Leo hot on her heels. I couldn't help but laugh; her excitement was adorable.

But she wasn't the only one excited. Mr. Davenport was singing as we walked down the hall to the new lab. "I've got a new lab, I've got a new lab, I've got a new lab, I've got a new lab."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Bree stopped him. "I think you mean we got a new lab?"

Mr. Davenport smirked in amusement. "Excuse me, but did we pay to rebuild it?" He questioned.

"Do you sleep in a glass box?" Bree countered. He looked at her, then relented.

"We've got a new lab. We've got a new lab." He sang. We followed him up to the lab doors. Calla and Leo were both waiting for us, tapping their feet impatiently.

"You guys ready?" Leo asked, bouncing on the spot. I didn't blame him. We were all pretty excited.

"May I?" Calla asked Mr. Davenport. He nodded and she tapped in the security code. The hexagon shaped doors slid open to reveal our new lab.

The walls were white, with the exception of the occasional silver panel. The floor had these large, hexagon shaped tiles. Three capsules stood in the back, larger and more advanced than before, with a control console in front of them. We all looked around in amazement.

"Guys, look at all these upgrades!" I said in awe. "Mr. Davenport, this place is amazing."

He grinned. "Of course it is. I designed it."

Calla and Leo looked pointedly at him. "Ahem." Leo said loudly.

"Fine!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed. "We designed it. We. We."

Both of them smirked proudly. Mr. Davenport sighed, then started to give us a bit of a tour. "Upgraded capsules, bam!" He shouted, pointing at the capsules. "Quantum processing super computer, bam! Four dimensional combat simulator, bam! This, my friends, is what a multimillion dollar make over looks like."

Adam grinned. "Is there a mini fridge?"

"No." Mr. Davenport replied. Adam glanced sideways at me.

"I bet our real dad's lab has a mini fridge." He commented. My smile fell. Did he really have to bring that up? Calla looked confused.

"I could have sworn I put one in here." She muttered.

"Calla, Leo?" Bree asked suddenly. "What happened to your workstations?"

Leo looked at Calla, as if for permission. She nodded and he took the IPad out of Mr. Davenport's hands. "This was children."

He led us over to the center of the room. He pressed a couple of buttons and two of the hexagon tiles, one on either side of the quantum super computer, dropped down. They slid back up to reveal two, brand new work stations.

"The floor in the lab is compartmentalized, meaning we can store things in it." Leo explained. He looked at Mr. Davenport. "May I?"

Mr. Davenport nodded. "Bam!" Leo exclaimed. Suddenly, something caught my eye.

"Is that a nuclear magnetic resident spectrometer?" I gasped, running over to the device. I stared at it, awestruck. "I've never seen one in person before! It's so beautiful!"

There was a moment of silence, then Adam had to ruin the moment. "Calla, you might have some competition."

Calla shrugged. "I'll worry about that after he starts making out with it." She replied. I stepped away from the device, my face burning with embarrassment.

Bree turned to Mr. Davenport. "How did you afford all this?" She asked.

"Well, I used some of the money from the Jet Wing stunt, but the rest of it I got from a huge government contract I just signed." He replied. "I am developing a rocket system to protect the earth from rogue asteroids. Thanks to this little baby, I am on my way back up rich man mountain and whoo! The air smells better up here!"

"Well, ignoring that, there is one downside to the new lab." Calla told us, walking over to her desk. Mr. Davenport gave her a stern look.

"It's not a downside." He told her. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yes. Yes it is." She replied. She gave us all an apologetic look then tapped a button on her desk. A screen next to the lab doors lit up to reveal the face of evil.

"I'M BACK!" Eddy exclaimed. We all groaned. Not Eddy! "Hello friends! And I use the word friends loosely because you're not my friends and I hate you."

We all glared at Mr. Davenport. "Did you really have to bring Eddy back?" Bree demanded. I nodded in agreement, walking over to Eddy's screen.

"Yeah. I don't know if I'm okay with that." I growled.

"Well then you're definitely not going to be okay with this." Eddy replied. Before I could even ask what he was talking about, the ground gave way beneath me. I fell about ten feet, right into the compartments under the floor. I looked up to see everyone looking at me with amused smirks.

"Somebody, get me out of here!" I snapped. I heard them laugh and Calla disappeared from my line of vision. Slowly, the floor tile I was standing on started to rise. "Thank you." I said to Calla as I reached ground level. I sent a glare at Eddy's screen, but he was already gone.

Suddenly, there was a beeping sound. Calla frowned at her computer screen. "Oh crap. We're gonna be late." She told us, shoving the laptop in her school bag. We all raced to grab our bags and met her at the door.

"Hey, was that a new laptop?" I asked as we headed down the street. She nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, sort of a bonus present from Mr. Davenport." She reached into her bag and pulled out an envelope. "He also gave me my raise."

"Sweet!" I grinned. "What are you going to spend it on?"

"I don't know." Calla admitted. "Maybe some books. Or shoes. I need a new pair of shoes."

I nodded. "Oh, did Mr. Davenport tell you about The Call?" I asked. Calla nodded excitedly.

"Yes! Next week, right?" She confirmed.

"Yeah. He's bringing in an old friend of his, Zachary Lewis to help." I told her. "It's going to be the best Call yet."

"Totally." Calla grinned. "Oh, right! I almost forgot!"

She reached into her bag and pulled two slips of paper out. "Leo, I got those tickets you wanted."

"Sweet." Leo reached for them, but Calla held them out of his reach.

"My money." She reminded him. He sighed and pulled forty dollars out of his pocket. She accepted the cash and handed him the tickets.

"Enjoy." She said with a smile. I looked at her.

"What were those?" I asked.

"Oh, tickets to tonight's basketball game. Leo's trying to impress Janelle, so he wanted to take her." She replied.

"I thought they were sold out." I frowned. Calla nodded.

"Oh, they are. But Jaden's substituting for one of the players because he sprained his ankle, and he managed to get four tickets for free." She replied.

"So why did Leo have to pay you?" I asked. She smirked.

"Because I like to make a profit." She replied as we headed into the school parking lot. "By the way, the fourth ticket is for you if you want it. If not, I'm sure Bree will want to see Jaden play."

"I'll be there." I grinned at her. She smiled back.

"Hey, look!" Bree exclaimed. We glanced to where she was pointing. Someone was driving around the parking lot like a mad man.

"They've been doing donuts around the parking lot all morning." Jaden informed us, jogging over the second he saw us. Adam grinned.

"Finally. A good reason to come to school." He smiled. Suddenly, the car started driving towards us at high speed.

"Guys look out!" I shouted, pushing them to safety. The car continued going, only stopping when it hit two garbage cans. Principal Perry climbed out, looking really dizzy.

"What's up?" She greeted us with a smile. Leo looked at her.

"What are you doing?" he questioned.

"Pushing the envelope on this little baby's roll over specs." She replied.

"How did you afford this?" Adam asked.

"Your daddy gave me my first payment for keeping your little bionic secret." She replied. "So naturally, I went out and bought my dream car, a barrel of pudding and a life time supply of kitty litter. The fancy kind that clumps."

Bree smiled. "I think we have different definitions of fancy." She told Principal Perry. Principal Perry rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, I want to hear more about all this bionic stuff." She said. "What can you guys do? Can you guys recharge my cells phone?"

She started listing of several questions. We rolled our eyes and headed into the building. "Do you have vacuum attachments? Can you turn into wolves?" Principal Perry continued.

"Not yet." Adam replied. "But I did put that in the suggestion box."

Jaden looked at Bree, Calla and I. "I wasn't this bad, was I?" he asked. Calla nodded.

"Pretty much. But you kept asking if they were robots, and she seems to have realized that they're human." She replied. Principal Perry looked at us.

"Come on! There's got to be something you're not telling me. Spill! Give me, give me, give me, give me…" she started poking Adam in the chest. We all stared at her, slightly weirded out.

"She's not going to stop, is she?" Bree asked after a minute.

"What do you think?" Leo asked her. Principal Perry had started pulling on Adam's back pack at this point.

"Okay, okay!" Clearly, he'd had enough. "We use our bionics to go on missions!"

Principal Perry gasped. "Missions? I would be so good on missions. I can see it now…"

She trailed off, looking at the ceiling. We were all very glad that we couldn't see whatever she was seeing, because no one really wanted to know what went on in her head. But it started to get really creepy when she started petting an invisible cat.

"Stop, just stop." Leo said, drawing her out of her fantasy.

The bell rang and we started towards our classes. "So, when do we go on our first mission?" Principal Perry started pestering Bree. "Do I get nun chucks? I want nun chucks!"

"Good luck with that Bree!" Calla called, grabbing me by the hand and heading to our first period chemistry class.

"She's never going to leave us alone, is she?" I guessed, talking about Perry. Calla laughed.

"Probably not." She replied. "But come on, she can't be any worse than Jaden, right?"

I looked at her. "Okay, don't answer that." Calla said quickly. We both laughed.

Leo's POV

"Hey Janelle!" I called, running over to her. I'd been looking for her all day, but I had only managed to find her between fifth and sixth period. "Long time, no see. I was starting to think you were avoiding me."

Janelle laughed nervously. "Me? I would never…I've been avoiding you."

I looked at her for a moment, a little taken back. "Well, I'm glad we cleared that up."

"Look, I like you Leo, but every time we hang out, I get hurt by one of your stepdad's inventions." She said.

"That is not true. Name one-" She cut me off.

"The time you froze me in a block of ice, the time you electrocuted me and my hair was straight for six months, the time you zapped me and I could only speak Portuguese!"

I smirked, trying to think of a joke. "It sounds like someone should have started avoiding me a lot sooner."

Janelle started to walk away. "Wait, wait. Okay, this time there will be no inventions." I promised her. "I got us court side seats to tonight's State Championship Basketball Game."

"Wow. Those are hard to get." Janelle admitted. I smiled.

"Well, my brother's dating a girl, who knows a guy, who let me pay four times the value of the ticket." I told her. She smiled. "So? Is that a yes?"

"Sure, I'm in." Janelle replied.

"Yes!" I grinned, reaching for my locker door. "Just let me get your ticket."

There was a bang as I opened the door, and Janelle was holding her head in pain. "Oh…" There was a bump on her forehead. "Okay, in case that affected your memory, you already said yes."

Janelle gave me a look. I sighed. "Come on. I'll walk you to the nurse."

Chase's POV

"I'm exhausted!" I complained, walking into the house. "Perry's been nagging me all day about going on a mission. 'Ooh! Give me, give me, give me, give me!'"

Adam and Bree nodded in agreement as Principal Perry walked into the room, carrying a bag over her shoulder.. "What's up, mission buds?"

We stared at her. Now she was bothering us in our own home too? "What are you doing here? How did you get in our house!?" Bree demanded.

"I used the doggy door." Principal Perry replied.

"We don't have a doggy door." I informed her. She held up a saw.

"You do now!" She replied, dumping her bag and saw on the coffee table. "So, when are we going on our mission?"

"It's not like these things just happen every day." Bree said. Principal Perry shrugged.

"That's cool. I'll wait." She said.

"You can't stay here!" Bree argued. Principal Perry smirked.

"Au contraire, Cinderfrella. I can do whatever I want, and if that means waiting here for six months until a missions comes up, so be it." She sat down without another word, reaching for the TV remote.

She went straight to our DVR. "Delete all recordings?" she read. "Yes!"

We all gasped as our favourite shows were deleted. "I might as well get comfortable." Principal Perry said. "Do you kids want to help me with a perm?"

Adam grinned. "Sure!"

"No!" Bree exclaimed. Principal Perry got up and walked into the kitchen, heading towards the sink. Bree looked at us.

"This ends now." She told us.

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" I asked her. "It's not like we can take her on a real mission."

Bree's face lit up as she got an idea. "Well then let's take her on a fake one." She suggested. Adam and I considered her idea. "We'll blindfold her, say we're at some remote site, then just take her down to the lab."

"No, no!" I objected. "You know Mr. Davenport's rules! No outsiders in the lab! Ever."

"Who wants to help me with the hard to reach spots?" Principal Perry called. Bree looked at me.

"And I'm in." Anything had to be better than…that. Adam nodded his agreement.

Leo's POV

I watched as our team tan across the court, slamming the basketball into the net. Usually, I wasn't that big a fan of basketball, but tonight it was pretty cool. I smiled at Janelle, trying to ignore the bandage over the cut she'd gotten when I hit her with my locker door.

"Ah, classic. The old triangle-defence-power break with a little dribble-dribble-"

"You have no idea what you're talking about, do you?" Janelle guessed, amusement in her tone.

"Nope." I replied. "But these tickets cost me forty bucks so you could at least play along."

Janelle giggled. Suddenly, one of the basketball players ran straight at us, knocking her to the ground. "Janelle!" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet. "Are you alright?"

I helped her onto the seat next to me. She had her hand over her forehead. "Yeah, I think so. Does it look too bad?"

I couldn't help but scream in horror. But Janelle looked worried. "It looks great." I lied. "You look great."

"You see? I told you! Bad things happen to me when we're together." She whined.

"That is not true." I told her. I looked over my shoulder. "Anybody got an icepack?"

Of course, the ice pack just had to hit Janelle right in the face. I sent a glare at Calla, who had thrown it.

"I'll be right back." I told Janelle before running over to Calla.

"Are you trying to ruin things?" I asked. Calla shook her head.

"No. It was an accident, I swear." She promised me. I looked at her.

"What are you even doing here?" I asked. She shrugged.

"I got four tickets, and I invited Chase, but he couldn't come." She replied. I frowned.

"How come? It can't be homework – he's already a month ahead." I couldn't think of a reason why Chase wouldn't want to hang out with Calla. Calla smirked.

"Only a month ahead? That's sad." She laughed lightly, then pulled out her phone. "And he texted me this a few minutes before the game: Sorry, I can't come. Adam, Bree, and I are scheming against Perry."

We both looked at each other. "That's not going to end well." I said both our thoughts out loud.

Chase's POV

This isn't going to end well I thought to myself as we led a blindfolded Principal Perry down to the lab. If Mr. Davenport found out, we'd be in so much trouble.

"Alright, here we are." Adam told Principal Perry as we led her into the room.

"Whoa. We got to the mission site fast." She grinned.

"Yeah, that's because we took a hyper loop." I lied. "It moves at the speed of sound."

"I know!" Principal Perry snapped. "This isn't my first teen spy mission."

We all looked at each other as she wandered blindly around the lab. "Why am I blindfolded?" she asked after a moment.

"Because we're bionic. Your human eyes can't take the radiation of the hyper loop." I explained. She frowned.

"What about the rest of my body?" She asked. Bree smirked.

"You're on your own with that." She commented. We all grinned and I removed the blindfold from Perry's eyes. She gasped upon seeing the lab.

"Where are we?" her voice was hushed. "Are we in space?"

She started walking around as if we were in a low gravity zone. "We're at an enemy base on the other side of the…" I snapped my fingers in front of her face to get her attention. "We're at an enemy base on the other side of world. We have to access their computers and download sensitive information."

She nodded. "Where' my uniform?" she asked, glancing at our mission suits. Adam supplied the lie this time.

"You don't get one." He told her. "The tailor says science hasn't caught up to that one yet."

Principal Perry was only offended for a minute before she started messing around again. She ran to Calla's desk and picked up a hand held energy blaster that she had been adjusting for earlier in the week. "So what do I do? If a bad guy shows up, I call dibs on wasting them."

"No, no, no." Bree ripped the laser from Perry's hands. "We don't waste people!"

I pushed Principal Perry towards the door. "Just stand guard." I ordered. She glared at me and pushed me off.

"Got it!" She snapped. "Don't worry. When they see me, they'll run.

"I don't doubt that." Bree replied with a smile. Perry walked over to Leo's desk and started messing with one of his paperweights.

"Look, look. Just sit-stop!" I slapped the paperweight out of her hands. "Sit down and stop touching stuff." I placed the paperweight down where she'd gotten it. I swear, this was worse than dealing with a misbehaving five year old.

"Hey, I'm on a mission now too and I don't have to take-"

"SIT DOWN!" We shouted, interrupting her midsentence.

"FINE!" She sat down at Leo's desk and started pouting.

We walked over to our capsules, making it look like we were doing important mission stuff. Suddenly, there was a zapping noise behind us. We all spun around to see Perry jump away from Leo's computer, and a knocked over juice box on his now sparking consol.

"What did you do? That's a brand new consol!" I exclaimed, running over.

"So what? It's not yours. Why do you care?" Principal Perry questioned.

"Because…" Leo would kill me if it was broken before he could use it "if we leave the place a mess, we're not better than we are."

Adam and Bree had snuck out to get some cleaning supplies while Principal Perry and I were talking. She turned away to go look around and I started to clean up her mess. There was a loud beeping noise from behind me.

"Hey, get away from there!" Adam exclaimed. I turned to see Perry trying to access Calla's computer. I ran over and pulled her away from it, then checked to see if she had damaged that too. Luckily, Calla had password protected her laptop, so it was fine. Perry must have put in the wrong password a couple of times.

"Oh! Live satellite feed." She said from behind me. I ignored her. "Let's pull up the school and see if the sheriffs are still looking for me."

A loud alarm went off. We all looked at her. "What was that?" Bree demanded. Perry backed away from the computer.

"I didn't do it." She replied. I ran over to see what she'd done now. The screen showed Mr. Davenport's mission defence, along with coordinates to the…school.

"Guys!" I hissed. Adam and Bree walked over. "She just activated Mr. Davenport's defence program and fired a rocket at Mission Creek High!"

Adam laughed. "Hey, what a coincidence. We go there." He chuckled.

"This is really bad." I told him. "That rocket's going to hit the school and the place is packed. Tonight is the state championship."

Bree looked horrified. "Isn't Jaden playing in the game tonight?"

I nodded. "Calla went to watch him and Leo brought Janelle there on a date." I replied.

Adam shook his head sadly. "Two disasters in one night. Poor Leo." He commented. Principal Perry looked at us, suspicion in her eyes.

"Principal Perry, we're not in an enemy base." Bree admitted. "We're actually in our lab, which is in the basement of our house."

"You tricked me?" Principal Perry demanded. "I hate being tricked! Do you know how many magicians I've made disappear?"

Suddenly, Eddy showed up. "Hey what's the deal with Senorita Sausage Paws?" He asked. Principal Perry spun around and glared at him. I had the feeling that those two would either be diabolical best friends, or arch enemies. Which one would be more terrifying, I wasn't sure.

"What is that?" Principal Perry asked, gesturing at Eddy.

"I'm Eddy, their smart home security system." He introduced himself.

"I'm Terry Perry, their principal, moral compass, and 1984 log splitting champion of Alberta, Canada, men's division." For some reason, she was proud of that.

Eddy laughed. "I thought I recognized the beard."

"It was a 'stache!" Perry threw herself at Eddy, only to be dragged back by Bree.

"Focus, focus!" She shouted, holding Perry still. "There's a rocket heading towards our school and we have to stop it."

Principal Perry was devastated. "No! Not the school! All of my wrestling equipment is in there!"

We all looked at her for a second, then went back to the rocket situation. "Guys, we only have four minutes until this thing hits." I informed them. "But everything in this lab has been redesigned. I can't figure out how to stop it."

Adam sighed. "This is the kind of crisis that calls for a chilled beverage." He commented. "Oh, wait."

Really? Was he seriously bringing up the mini fridge now? I went back to the computer, desperately tapping random buttons, hoping it would work. An alarm went off, and all the doors shut.

"What was that? What just happened?" Bree demanded.

"Your mission leader just put you on lock down." Eddy replied. "Now no one can get in or out. Well, except me. Later losers!"

Eddy disappeared without another word. I slammed my hand down on the consul in frustration. "We've got to call Calla and Leo so they can get everyone out of there!"

Bree exclaimed. She pulled out her phone and started dialling. She stopped, a frown on her face. "There's no service!" She exclaimed in despair.

"The lockdown must be blocking our cell phone signals." I decided.

"A multimillion dollar makeover and he couldn't install a landline?" Adam criticized. "Genius, my butt."

I sighed. What were we going to do?

Leo's POV

"Look who's back from the nurse's office." I greeted as Janelle walked back over to me, another bandage on her forehead. She frowned.

"Where's Calla? I thought I saw you talking to her." She asked. I shrugged.

"She got a message saying that someone was trying to hack her laptop. It was probably Adam trying to play one of her online video games." I replied. Janelle sat down beside me. "Thanks for staying and giving me another chance."

"I'm just waiting for my double vision to go away." She replied. Suddenly, a ball came our way.

"Look out!" I grabbed Janelle and pulled her out of the way. She sighed in relief as the guy next to us caught it. "See? You're safe with me."

The guy who caught the ball reached back to throw it, hitting Janelle in the nose. "Ow!" She said sharply to him before getting up. I followed her.

"Are you okay?" I demanded.

"Do I look okay?" she replied. "Forget your stepdad's technology, it's you. You're bad luck."

"I'm bad luck?" I repeated. "You're the one who keeps getting hit in the-" Janelle gave me a look. "Do you wanna go for a walk?" I suggested.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry Leo. I don't think we should hang out anymore."

She started to walk off. I stared after her. "Well, that came out of nowhere." I said, before running after her.

Chase's POV

I kept tapping buttons, praying to God that one of them would work. If that rocket hit, everyone in the school, including Calla, Jaden and Leo, would be killed. I couldn't let that happen.

"Man, I'm going to miss that school." Adam commented. "Well, I should get to bed. It's a school night."

I sighed. Suddenly, there was a rapid knocking on the lab door. "What's going on in there?"

"Finally! Mr. Davenport's here!" Bree exclaimed. There was more knocking. We ran towards the door, but Adam stopped us.

"Wait, it could be a trap." He warned us. The knocking stopped for a moment, only for it to start again, much harder.

"Adam, if you're playing Canyon Defence on my new laptop, I'm going to kill you!" A female voice exclaimed. A relieved smile came to my face.

"Calla, not now." Mr. Davenport snapped.

"Hey guys. Don't worry. Everything is fine." I lied.

"Of course it is." Mr. Davenport didn't believe me for a second. "That's why I got an alert on my phone that says the lab is on lock down."

Busted. "Wait, why didn't I get that alert?" Calla asked.

"If you didn't get an alert, why are you here?" Bree asked.

"I have my laptop set up so that if someone enters two incorrect passwords in a row, I get texted." Calla replied. Wow. She REALLY loved that laptop.

"What's going on?" Mr. Davenport ignored her. I gulped, knowing that we were dead.

"Well, you know you're rocket program?" I asked guiltily.

"Yes!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed.

"Perry may have accidently…" "sent one to hit the high school." Bree and I explained. Principal Perry gave us this look that said she was displeased with the fact that we mentioned her.

"Perry?" Mr. Davenport demanded.

"Hi Don." She replied, glaring at us.

"Nobody touch anything!" Mr. Davenport ordered. "I'm going to try and hack my way into my own security program."

A few seconds of silence. "It's not accepting any of the override commands." Calla said loudly, likely trying to keep us updated.

"Why did I have to build it so perfectly?" Mr. Davenport asked. Bree smirked.

"Wow. Even in a crisis, that ego does not quit." She commented. I couldn't help but agree.

I heard Mr. Davenport sigh. "Adam? Would you mind using your strength to destroy my brand new lab doors?" He sounded angry and frustrated. Never a good combination.

Adam backed up, ready to do as he asked, but Principal Perry pushed him out of the way. In her hands was the energy blaster. "Out of my way, Jumbo. I got this."

"NO!" "Yes!" We all shouted. The energy blast hit the door and rebounded off of it, sending Principal Perry back several feet. She stumbled into Calla's desk, hitting several buttons.

The lab doors opened and Mr. Davenport ran past us. "Wow! She opened it! Maybe we should add her to the team."

"No, just…no." Calla said, walking in. She looked at me. "What was that bit about missiles and our high school?

I quickly explained the situation to her. "I'm calling Jay." She muttered, pulling out her phone. "You guys help Davenport. And keep Perry away from my desk."

"Got it." We agreed.

Leo's POV

Man, tonight was not going well.

"Janelle! I am not bad luck!" I raced outside, following Janelle. She stopped walking, but didn't face me. She was staring into the sky.

"What's that fiery object hurtling towards us?" she asked. I looked up to see what appeared to be a rocket. Seriously? You've got to be kidding me!

"Shooting star." I replied. "Quick, make a wish. Mine is that we live for two more minutes."

Janelle looked at me, horrified.

Chase's POV

"We should be able to shut the rocket down from here." Mr. Davenport said. "I just have to switch everything to the satellite feed."

Principal Perry giggled. "Satellite feed."

Adam, Bree, and I looked at her. She was holding an icepack to her head. "Are you okay?" Bree asked. "You look weird…er than normal."

"Of course I'm okay." She replied, tossing the icepack onto a chair. She turned to Mr. Davenport and her dilated eyes widened. "Mr. Whiskers." She gasped. "Come to mama."

She started trying to hug/pet Mr. Davenport. "Get her off me. Get her off me." Mr. Davenport said. "How could you let her down here? You're all grounded. Forever. Times three. Times pi."

He looked back at the computer screen just as Calla ran back into the room. "The rocket's too close to it's target." He said. "I-I can't stop it from here."

"Chase, can't you stop it with you telekinesis?" Bree demanded. I shook my head.

"Not something that big travelling that fast." I replied.

"It's only three minutes from it's target. We have to evacuate the school." Mr. Davenport decided. He turned to Calla. "Tell your brother to evacuate the school now."

"No one's answering." She replied, eyes wide. "Their phones must be turned off."

Mr. Davenport looked at Adam and Bree. "Guys, go!"

"Is it too much to ask for a please?" Adam asked.

"GO!" Mr. Davenport shouted. Bree grabbed Adam's arm and they were gone, leaving me, Calla, and Mr. Davenport to watch from the monitor.

"Do you think they can do it?" Calla asked in a small voice. She was thinking of Jaden and Leo and every one of her friends inside that building. I pulled her into my arms.

"They have to." I whispered just as Principal Perry walked over. She started trying to give Mr. Davenport a belly rub.

"When did our lives get this weird?" Calla asked, momentarily distracted. I shrugged.

"I'm not entirely sure." I replied.

Leo's POV

"It's getting closer!" Janelle exclaimed. "What do we do?"

I had no ideas. "I don't think there's anything we can do." I admitted, hating the helplessness in my voice. Suddenly, Adam and Bree sped up behind Janelle. I stared at them for a second then looked back at Janelle. "Except, hide behind this thing."

We both ducked down behind the garbage can. I made sure Janelle couldn't see them, then watched Adam and Bree expectantly. I'd never seen them stop a rocket before. This should be interesting.

"There's only twenty seconds before the rocket hits!" Bree was saying. "There's no way we can get out in time."

"Don't worry. I have an idea." Adam assured her. Bree didn't look too reassured.

"What are you going to do?" She asked skeptically. "Throw a car at it?"

"No!" Adam snapped. "But that's way better than my idea. Let's do that."

He walked over and lifted Principal Perry's car above his head as if it weighed nothing. He threw it into the sky. It hurtled towards the rocket, both objects exploding upon impact.

I grinned at the fiery display. Cool. I waved slightly at Bree and Adam, giving them a thumbs up. They grinned and sped out of parking lot. "Whoa." I whispered, getting up. "Janelle, check it out."

She stood up, searching the sky for rockets. "I think we're safe." I told her.

"We made it." She breathed in relief. Suddenly, a flash of red caught my eye.

"Janelle, look out!" I yelled, dragging her into the corner. Principal Perry's bumper hit the ground right where we had been previously standing. Janelle stared at it in shock.

"Leo! You just saved my life!" She exclaimed.

"Well it's…I mean, you know…" I started to go for the modest approach, but then changed tactics. "It's what I do."

Janelle smiled. "Thank you." She said. "I guess you're not bad luck."

Just then, a white liquid, presumable pudding, fell from the sky and landed on her. She groaned in disgust. She wiped a little off her jacket and tasted it.

"I'm so glad that was only pudding." She said. We both laughed just as all of Principal Perry's cat litter fell onto Janelle's head. The pudding acted like glue and soon Janelle was covered in it.

I stared at the litter, surprised. "Oh, wow." I said. "Principal Perry was right. The litter does clump."

I reached out to touch it, but Janelle slapped my hand away. I smiled quality and she stormed inside. I was starting to get the feeling that I really was bad luck.

Chase's POV

"This pathetic." Calla laughed as we led Principal Perry into the lab. Once again she was blindfolded and under the impression that she was going on a mission. I held a finger to my lips, silencing Calla.

"So we're on an actual mission this time?" Principal Perry asked.

"No, we're going on a pancake run." I replied sarcastically.

"Yes!" Principal Perry didn't seem to notice the sarcasm.

"Calm down. I'm kidding." I told her. Her smile disappeared. Adam stepped up behind her.

"We're in dangerous enemy territory somewhere in a place called…New Labistan."

He raised his hand for a high five I refused to give him. Perry pulled off her blindfold and looked around. "Hey!" She exclaimed. "This looks just like the place we were at last time."

Bree smiled. "Really?" she asked."Does this look the same?"

She pressed a few buttons, and the floor tile beneath Principal Perry dropped. "AH!" She screamed.

We all laughed. "Hey, there's a mini fridge down here!" Perry called up. Adam was not pleased.

"Oh, come on!" He exclaimed.


	4. The New Girl

Chase's POV

"So, should we put the electromagnetic beam over here or over there?" Calla asked, looking around the lab. It was only Thursday and The Call was on Sunday but we were already getting ready. There was just so much to do.

"This one's fine." I placed the device down on the pedestal. She leaned over and adjusted it.

"Now it's fine." she corrected. I smirked and grabbed Mr. Davenport's IPad from her desk. I checked the last item off the list.

"…And that's it for today." I informed Calla. She nodded.

"Sweet. Now we can have some alone time." She smiled. I leaned in to kiss her, only to be interrupted by Leo. "Seriously?" She complained. We both glared at him.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm only down here because Mom kicked me off my video games." Leo objected. "So what are you doing, other than making out?"

"We were not making out." Calla told him. "And not just because you have terrible timing."

Leo sniggered. "So, are you guys setting up for The Call?"

Calla and I nodded. "We just finished up." I replied.

"It's going to be the best one yet." Calla grinned and sat down at her desk. She started typing things on her computer,

"So, who's this guy? Zachary Lewis or something?" Leo asked.

"Mr. Lewis is one of Mr. Davenport's best scientists." I replied. Calla nodded.

"He's a really cool guy." She mentioned. "I've worked with him a couple of times. I like him."

"Isn't he bringing his daughter?" Leo asked. Calla shrugged.

"I never met her, but I think her name's Sarah or something." She replied.

"It's Skylar, actually." I corrected. Both she and Leo looked at me.

"How do you know?" Calla asked. I shrugged.

"She applied for the lab assistant job before you, Calla." I explained. She frowned. "But hey, obviously the best person got the job."

Calla smirked and pecked me on the lips. "You're so sweet." she cooed.

"I know." I replied with a smirk. Calla laughed.

"You two are pathetic. Really pathetic." Leo told us. Calla stuck my tongue out at him.

"Jealous?" I teased, wrapping my girlfriend up in my arms. Leo rolled his eyes.

"Nope. You can keep that hot mess to yourself." He replied. Calla grabbed the tissue box off her desk and tossed it at him.

"Jerk!" She called. He laughed.

"No, seriously though. You two are so cute it's gross." He commented. I didn't mind. Let our cuteness be gross. It made him more likely to give us some us time.

"Well Leo, if you don't like our adorableness, you can always leave." Calla offered, gesturing at the door. Leo frowned.

"Wasn't there a rule about romance in the lab?" He asked.

"That was the old lab. This is a new lab with new rules." She replied. "Now leave."

Leo laughed. Calla raised an eyebrow at him. "I was serious." She told him. Leo looked offended and walked out. Calla turned back to me.

"Now, where were we?" She asked, leaning in.

Calla's POV

"I can't believe how much homework Mr. Bradley gave us!" Bree complained as we walked into the house. Chase and I smirked; we'd already finished all of ours.

"Guys!" Mr. Davenport was waiting for us, along with two people. One was an older man with short blonde hair, whom I recognized as Mr. Lewis. The other was a teenage girl with long, dark blonde hair and bright green eyes. She was fairly skinny too, with tan skin. She was one of those girls who could walk into a building and immediately be surrounded by boys. "I'd like to introduce you to my friend Zachary Lewis and his daughter Skylar."

"Hi." Skylar smiled at us. Mr. Lewis stepped forward and held out his hand to me. I shook it.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Lewis." I greeted. He smiled.

"The pleasure is all mine. It's so refreshing to see such an ambitious and dedicated young person." He replied. I smiled at the praise. Chase smirked.

"I see why you like him." He whispered before shaking Mr. Lewis' hand. Skylar jumped off the couch and walked over to us. She was smiling brightly.

"Hi, I'm Skylar. It's nice to meet you." She greeted. We all introduced ourselves to her.

"Why don't you six hang out?" Mr. Davenport suggested, obviously wanting to talk business with Mr. Lewis. "You can show her the new lab, if you want."

"You guys got a new lab?" Skylar gasped, eyes shining. "You are SO showing me. Come on!"

She grabbed Chase's hand and started pulling him down at hall. The others followed after them. Chase led everyone down to the lab. Skylar looked around in amazement.

"This is amazing." She grinned. She gasped suddenly. "Is that a nuclear magnetic resident spectrometer?"

She ran over to the device, obviously surprised. I looked at the others. "Okay, I seriously don't get why it's so impressive. It's just a magnetic resident spectrometer."

Skylar and Chase looked at me. "No, it's a nuclear magnetic resident spectrometer." Skylar corrected. I rolled my eyes.

"I still don't get what the big deal is." I muttered, sitting down at my desk. Skylar looked away from the device. She looked at where Chase was working on Mr. Davenport's super computer.

"Hey, what are you doing?" she asked curiously, pulling up a chair and dragging it over to Chase. She looked over his shoulder at the screen. "Are you watching that Sharkman and Flipperboy?" She asked. (1)

I groaned. That was seriously the most ridiculous show I'd ever heard of. Why Chase watched it was beyond me.

"Uh, yeah." Chase was surprised. "Do you watch it?"

"Hell yeah!" Skylar replied, smiling brightly. "It's my favourite show!"

"Seriously? It's mine too!" Chase exclaimed. "Calla thinks it's stupid."

"Why?" Skylar looked at me, completely bewildered. I shrugged.

"It's childish." I replied. Chase and Skylar started talking about the show, comparing characters and whatnot. I accessed my files, bringing up the prototypes for my new invention. It was my first invention, if you didn't count the incomplete bionic update.

I was checking it for flaws one last time. Usually I wasn't a perfectionist, but I was seriously paranoid that this would fail epically. But so far, the prototype had been working perfectly and had yet to catch fire, so I was pretty sure I was in the safe zone.

"Hey Chase?" I looked over my shoulder, about to ask him a question, when I stopped. He and Skylar were sitting shoulder to shoulder, laughing about something that he had said. She was leaning forward with interest, eyes glowing with entertainment.

I grit my teeth together, glaring at the two. I couldn't help but feel that it should be me sitting there with him, not her. I didn't like the girl at all, which was new for me since I usually gave people a chance. But the sight of them together just made me so annoyed.

"Chase!" I called again. He looked up.

"Yeah?" he asked. "What's up, Calla?"

"Can you help me with this?" I asked, tapping the chair next to me. "I want to make sure it won't glitch."

Chase rolled his eyes. "Calla, you must have tested it a hundred times. I'm sure it's fine." He assured me. I nodded.

"Please?" I asked. He started to get up, but just then Mr. Davenport and Mr. Lewis walked in.

"It's quite impressive." Mr. Lewis said, glancing around the lab. Mr. Davenport looked at everyone.

"Tasha's back and wants to talk to you four." He said. Everyone nodded and left, leaving me, Skylar, Mr. Lewis and Mr. Davenport alone. Mr. Davenport and Mr. Lewis went to check on the inventions, while Skylar and I sat in silence.

Eventually, Skylar looked at me. "Calla, right?" she asked. I nodded.

"Yep." I replied, typing something into my documents.

"I've got a question for you." Skylar continued. I wasn't really paying attention to her.

"Shoot." I mumbled, focusing on my work.

"Does Chase have a girlfriend?"

I stopped. Slowly, I turned around to face her. "Uh, yeah." I replied, feeling kind of insulted. Skylar frowned.

"Who?" she asked.

"Me." I replied, crossing my arms. Skylar looked surprised.

"Really, why?" she asked. I started at her.

"Excuse me?" I demanded, annoyed.

"Why?" Skylar repeated. "I mean, he could have anyone…"

She trailed off, but it was obvious what she meant. "Okay, rude much." I snapped. "And we're dating because we like each other."

"Sure." Skylar rolled her eyes and turned around in her chair. "By the way, were you two dating when you got the assistant job?"

"What?" I demanded.

She repeated her question. "I just want to know why I lost out on the job. And if you got it because Davenport's son liked you, then that's not really fair."

"I got the job long before I even met Chase." I snapped. She backed off a bit, seeing how upset I clearly was.

"Fine. Just asking." She said just as Chase and the others walked in.

"Just asking about what?" He asked, sitting down in his chair next to Skylar. Skylar smiled prettily at him.

"Nothing." She replied. I sent her a glare, then smiled at Chase.

"So, what did Tasha want?" I asked.

"Just to see what we wanted for dinner." He replied. "Did you talk to your mom about staying over?"

"Yeah. She said it's fine." I replied. Skylar grinned.

"Great. We're staying over to so that your dad can catch up with mine. We can all hang out together!" She grinned. I bit my lip, not liking the idea at all.

"Cool." "That sounds fun." "Sweet!" "I'm hungry!" The others replied. We all looked at Adam and his stomach growled.

"What? I told you that I was hungry." He defended himself. We chuckled.

"Come on then. My mom's ordering pizza." Leo told us, heading back towards the door. We all got up and followed them. Skylar started to walk beside Chase, but I cut in front of her, grabbing his hand tightly.

He frowned at the sudden pressure, but didn't say anything. Instead he kissed my forehead and returned the pressure. I sent a glare back at Skylar. This boy was mine, and there was no way I was going to let her have him.

Chase's POV

"Is there something wrong, Calla?" I asked as soon as we met up with her on Friday morning. Yesterday, she had seemed…clingy. I guess that's the word for it. She kept wanting to sit beside me and had been entirely dedicated to getting my one hundred percent focus ever since dinner. Not that I minded; I loved being with Calla, but it was just so unlike her.

"It's nothing." She replied, taking my hand. I noticed that she didn't hold it with the same iron grip that she had yesterday, although it was obvious that something was bothering her.

"Calla…" I tried again.

"I said it's nothing Chase." She snapped irritably. I backed off. She was probably just having a bad day. I shrugged.

"Alright then. Do you wanna do something after school? I'm sure Mr. Davenport won't mind if we head over to the Fro-Yo shop; we both deserve a break." I suggested. Calla smiled.

"Sure." She grinned, her mood lightening.

"So, what did you guys think of Skylar?" Leo asked. "She's smoking hot, right?"

"She's okay." Calla muttered. Adam and Leo stared at her.

"Okay? She was amazing!" Adam exclaimed. Leo nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, definitely model worthy." He agreed. Bree smiled.

"Well, I guess she's pretty. But she'd really cool too. She gave me a lot of fashion tips."

"Yeah, she's really nice. And smart." I added. Calla rolled her eyes.

"Not that smart." She objected.

"She new what a nuclear electro magnet thingy-ma-bob was and you didn't." Leo pointed out. Calla pulled away from me and crossed her arms.

"I knew what it was!" she snapped. "I just didn't really see what the big deal was."

"Guys, let's just calm down." I could tell that something was riding on Calla's nerves and I didn't want to have to break up an argument.

"Whatever." Calla muttered, clearly upset. I hugged her from behind.

"Just relax. It's really no big deal." I whispered in her ear. She sighed and took my hand again.

"Alright." She agreed. "Come on; we're gonna be late for school."

She started pulling me along the sidewalk. "Are you sure you're alright?" I asked. She nodded.

"Yes." She replied. "Anyway, did you look at the blueprints for my invention?"

"Yeah, they're pretty cool. And the prototype's working?" I asked. Calla nodded.

"Yeah, but Jaden hates it." She replied with a laugh. "He thinks it's annoying."

I chuckled. "Well, I'm sure it will go for a lot of money at The Call." I told her. She smiled proudly.

"Yeah, I can't wait!" She replied. "It's going to be awesome!"

Suddenly, my phone vibrated. I pulled it out and read the text. "Who's it from?" Calla asked curiously.

"Skylar." I replied. Calla's smile fell.

"What does she want now?" she questioned. I frowned.

"Wow, someone just got into a seriously bad mood." I teased. Calla didn't look amused. "And she just wanted to wish me a good day at school. Isn't that sweet of her?"

Calla sighed and shoved her hands into her pocket, clearly bothered by something. "I guess." She muttered. I smiled at her.

"So, do you want to head over to the fro-yo store right after school, or do you want to drop our stuff off at home first?" I asked, trying to lighten her mood. It worked.

"Let's go right away. We'll drop our stuff off later." She told me, taking my hand again.

Calla's POV

"Honey, we're home!" I joked as Chase and I walked into his house. We each carried a tray of fro-yo cones in our hands. "We brought treats!"

Leo and Adam stampeded each other trying to get to the fro-yo. Chase and I both laughed, holding the trays above our heads. That of course didn't stop Adam from stealing two of them.

"Are you going to eat both of those?" Chase asked. Adam didn't answer, instead he just shoved both cones into his mouth.

"Oh come on! I want one!" Leo complained. I sighed and handed him one before hanging my jacket on the coat hanger.

"I swear you two act like children most of the time." I muttered. Leo smirked.

"As long as I get my fro-yo, I don't care what you call me." He said, walking away. He stopped by the stairs. "Oh yeah. Skylar and Bree are in the lab."

"Wonderful." I muttered. I followed Chase down towards the lab and saw both girls sitting at my computer.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I demanded, pushing them away. Everyone looked at me. "I don't like people touching my stuff."

"I was just showing her your invention prototypes." Bree said, still a little surprised that I snapped at her like that. Skylar nodded.

"It looks pretty cool." Skylar said. "So, you're calling it the IQ Alarm Clock?"

I nodded stiffly. "Yeah. In order to turn the alarm off, you have to answer a multiple choice question. It makes sure that you actually get up in the morning rather than falling back asleep."

"It sounds pretty cool." Skylar said again. She glanced at the fro-yo cones. "Oh, are those for us?"

"Yeah, here you go." Chase handed her and Bree each a cone from his tray. I handed him one from mine and took the last one for myself.

"Sorry for going on your computer without asking, Calla." Bree apologized. "I didn't realize you would be so upset."

I shrugged, starting to calm down. "I overreacted. It's fine." I replied.

Skylar looked at Chase, a smile on her face. "So, did you hear about that new movie?"

"What new movie?" Chase asked. Skylar pushed her chair over to Mr. Davenport's super computer and patted the seat next to her. Chase sat down there. I glared at the two, a little annoyed.

"The new Sharkman and Flipperboy movie! It's coming to theatres this Saturday!" Skylar exclaimed. "Check out the trailer."

Chase leaned forward to get a better look at the trailer. Skylar looked up for a second and smirked at me. I crossed my arms in response. She rolled her eyes and flipped her hair onto her left side. She leaned in with Chase and started talking to him quietly.

I took a deep breath. That girl was really pissing me off. Seriously, I was going to lose it. Bree slid her chair over to me.

"She likes him." She whispered. I nodded, glaring daggers at the two. Apparently, Chase had said something funny because Skylar started laughing.

"I know." I growled. Bree frowned.

"Does she know that you two are dating?" She asked. I nodded again.

"Yes. She does." I said.

Chase leaned back, the trailer obviously being done. "That looks amazing!" He exclaimed. Skylar nodded.

"Maybe we can go see it this weekend. I have tickets."

I stared at her. Was she seriously asking him to go to the movies with her? Chase shrugged.

"Maybe." He agreed. He looked at Bree and I. "Do yo guys want to come?"

Bree shook her head, but I faked a smile. "I'd love to." I replied.

"Really? I thought you hated the series." Chase said. I shrugged.

"I'm going to give it another chance." I smiled at him. He grinned.

"Cool." He replied. I sent Skylar a smirk.

"Won't it be fun?" I asked her, enjoying the look of annoyance on her face. But it was quickly replaced by a fake smile.

"I'm sorry Calla. I only have two tickets." She apologized. She looked at Chase. "But you still want to go, right?"

"If I've got nothing else planned, sure." He agreed. I glared at Skylar's triumphant smirk.

Chase's POV

"Have you guys noticed anything different with Calla?" I asked. Tasha had brought us all grocery shopping with her for the afternoon, leaving Calla and Skylar alone at the house. For some reason, I couldn't help but feel that was a bad idea.

"Yeah, she's been in a seriously bad mood ever since Thursday night." Adam agreed as we walked through the front door. We deposited the grocery bags on the kitchen counter, and started heading down to the lab.

"I know, but I can't figure out why." I said, frowning. Bree looked at me.

"I think I do-" She started but was cut off as we heard loud, angry shouting. We looked at each other then ran into the lab. Calla and Skylar were shouting at each other in the center of the room, smoke rising from Calla's computer. An empty smoothie lay on the ground next to it.

"I can't believe you! You little witch! How could you!" Calla was screaming. Skylar was screaming right back though.

"How dare you call me a witch! It was an accident, you obnoxious little nerd!" She screamed. The two looked like they were about to try and kill each other.

I ran over and grabbed my girlfriend by her waist, pulling her away while Adam did the same with Skylar. "What is going on here?" I demanded, not letting go of Calla, mainly because I was scared she would commit a murder.

"That little witch dumped her smoothie on my computer! You ruined it!" Calla directed the last part towards Skylar. Skylar looked at me.

"It was an accident. I apologized." She said through clenched teeth.

"Liar!" Calla snapped. Skylar glared at her.

"I'm not the one who's lying!" She exclaimed.

"Enough!" I shouted. "Would you both just calm down!"

"Fine." They both crossed their arms, fuming. I looked at Calla.

"Look, it was an accident…" I told her. Calla looked at me.

"No, it wasn't." she insisted. "She's lying. She dumped it on my computer on purpose!"

"No I didn't!" Skylar exclaimed. I looked at Calla.

"Why would she do that?" I asked. Calla glared at her.

"Because she's an evil, self-absorbed little sl-" She started.

"Calla!" I cut her off. "That's enough!"

She stared at me. "Are you really taking her side?" she whispered, shocked. I sighed.

"Calla…" she pulled away from me, hurt evident in her eyes.

"You know what? Forget it. I'm out of here. Do The Call without me." She ran off without another word. I looked at my siblings, wondering if they knew what that was about. I'd never seen Calla give up an argument so easily. Adam shrugged, Leo looked completely confused, and Bree was shaking her head at me.

I started to go after Calla, but Bree stopped me. "Let her calm down." She advised. "She won't want to listen to you while she'd this upset."

I looked at Skylar. "I'm sorry about her. She's never usually like this." I apologized. "I don't know what's gotten into her."

Skylar frowned. "Really? She seems totally full of herself. She's been really rude to me the entire time I've been here."

I looked at her. "She's not that kind of person." I snapped at her. Skylar shrugged.

"I have no idea why you go out with her." Skylar said. "Seriously Chase, I think you should break up with her."

We all stared at her. "Hey, I may not understand why Calla's acting like this all of a sudden, but she's a nice person." I told Skylar, slightly angry that she would insult Calla like that. "You should give her a chance."

"A chance to what?" Skylar demanded. "To attack me? Because that's exactly what she was going to do if you hadn't come down. She needs to learn some self control."

"Hey!" I yelled. "Quit insulting her."

"Chase-" Skylar started, but I shrugged her off. I headed towards the door.

"I'm going to go check on Calla." I told her. Not bothering to hide the anger in my voice.

Xxx

"Calla, let me in!" I exclaimed, pounding on her door. I had went straight here after leaving the lab and hadn't been surprised when Jaden told me she had locked herself up in her room. He was downstairs at the moment, watching a baseball game on TV.

"Calla!" I shouted again. There was no answer. I reached the door knob and opened the door. Calla was on her balcony, leaning against the railing. I walked over and leaned against the railing next to her.

"I'm sure the computer's not that damaged…" I started.

"I'm not upset about the computer Chase." Calla sounded tired, as if she'd just given up arguing.

"Then what are you upset about?" I asked. Calla huffed in frustration.

"It's her. And you. And…" she broke off angrily.

"What did I do?" I asked, confused. She sighed.

"Look, just leave me alone Chase. Have fun on your date with Skylar tomorrow." She tried to walk away, but I grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"What date? We're just friends." I objected.

"Tell that to her!" Calla exclaimed. "Chase, she doesn't want to be your friend. Can't you see that?"

"Even if that's true, why would I leave you for her?" I demanded. Calla shook her head in disbelief.

"Because she's smart and…and she's pretty and you like some of the same things…" She trailed off. I frowned at her.

"You think she's pretty?" I asked. Calla stared at me.

"Have you not looked at her?" She demanded. I shrugged.

"Why would I look at her when you're in the room?" I asked. Calla stared at me and opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Tears crept into the corners of her eyes.

"Hey, don't cry." I whispered, pulling her into my arms. She buried her face in the crook of my neck.

"I'm so stupid." She murmured.

"No, you're not." I replied quickly. "Maybe a little irrational at times, but you're not stupid."

Calla didn't answer but stayed in my arms for a long time. Eventually, she pulled away. I looked at her for a long time. "You were seriously jealous of Skylar?" She shrugged, hugging herself and refusing to look at me. "Calla, that's ridiculous."

She shrugged again, staying quiet. "Calla, you're ten times more beautiful than she is, and ten times as smart."

"You think so?" she asked quietly. I nodded.

"I know so." I said firmly. "Plus, she's seriously full of herself."

Calla almost smiled. "Yeah, I know."

"So, we're good now?" I asked. Calla nodded.

"Yeah." She said. Suddenly, an alarm went off in the house.

"Calla, shut off that stupid alarm clock!" Jaden shouted. We both laughed.

"He really hates that thing, doesn't he?" I guessed. Calla laughed again, wiping the tears off her cheeks.

"Totally." She agreed. I smiled at her.

"So, you're not going to be jealous of Skylar anymore?" I asked. She nodded.

"I still hate her." She replied. I smirked.

"Just don't kill her, okay? As amusing as it would be to see your mom arrest you, I'm pretty sure it would make family dinners pretty awkward."

Calla laughed again and I pulled her back into my arms. She wrapped her arms around my neck. I kissed her deeply. She blushed when I pulled away, a smile on her face. "You're my girl. Nothing's ever going to change that."

Calla's POV

"So, who's ready for The Call?" I asked, skipping into the lab twenty minutes early. I had my prototype alarm clock in my bag.

"Hey beautiful." Chase greeted, hugging me from behind. I sent a smirk at Skylar. She was sitting at Leo's desk with him, while Mr. Davenport and Mr. Lewis were at the super computer.

"Your computer's fine Calla. We just had to replace some of the hard drive, but your memory card's fine." Leo told me. I grinned.

"Thanks Leo." I replied. "Anyway, when is this Call starting? I've got a product to sell."

"You're sure excited." Mr. Davenport commented, heading over to the camera.

"Yup." I replied, placing my invention on a podium. "My first invention is being sold at the biggest sale of the year. Of course I am."

"Who's doing what?" Leo asked. Skylar grinned.

"Well, why don't Chase and I take the first half of the projects, while you and Calla take care of the equipment and filming?" She suggested. Chase smiled.

"Actually, seeing as Calla's work is one of the inventions sold, why doesn't she sell the inventions with me? I'm sure Leo can show you how the camera works." He offered. I smiled.

"What a great idea, babe." I said before kissing him on the lips. I won't lie; I got quite a bit of pleasure from the out of Skylar's outraged face. "Something wrong, Skylar?"

"No, nothing." She replied stiffly. Chase smiled.

"Alright then. Let's do this." He said, wrapping his arm around me. I couldn't help but smile too. Chase was right; being jealous of Skylar was ridiculous. He was mine and he would never leave me.


	5. Not So Smart Phone

Leo's POV

"This is stupid." Calla commented, watching as Adam and I set up their bowling pins. I rolled his eyes.

"You're just annoyed that we won't let you play." I shot back. She laughed.

"Not really. I'm more annoyed that you guys decided to bowl in here rather than a bowling alley. I have a lot of work to get done." She gestured at her desk for emphasis. There was at least six piles of forms that had to be filled out because of our success at The Call. It was a lot of work, granted, but I would have thought she would have been happier. The IQ Clock was one of the most popular things sold. It made a lot of money, and because she was the one who invented and designed it, she got most of the profits.

Normally, I would have been nice enough to let her work, but I really, really wanted to check out what Adam called 'Bionic Bowling'.

"Hey guys." Chase called as he and Bree walked into the room. They were both still wearing their Tech Town uniforms. They'd both gotten jobs there shortly before The Call, thanks to Kaitlin actually. "Check it out. We just got our first paychecks from Tech Town."

Calla grinned. "Nice job, babe. What are you going to spend it on?" she asked. "A new phone? New shoes? A present for your girlfriend who wants a new phone and new shoes?"

Chase grinned back at her. "Nope. I'm going to open a savings account." He announced. We all sighed. Classic Chase.

"Look, I want to like you, but you make it so hard." Bree told him, walking past us so that she could head upstairs.

"The job also comes with perks." Chase continued, pulling a white cell phone out of his pocket. Calla and I both recognized the beauty at once.

"The new E-Phone 7! Those aren't even out yet! How'd you get one?" I demanded.

"Well, Leo, as a rising star of the Tech Town Empire-" Chase started, but Bree interrupted him.

"We all got one." She informed us, pulling her new phone out of her pocket. Calla and I stared at Chase's phone, wide eyed. The only thought on my mind: I need that phone. I really needy that phone.

"People are already lined up for the big release on Friday. You should have seen the crazed looks in their eyes when I walked by with this thing." Chase continued. He noticed the looks on our faces. "Yep, that's the look."

I pulled the phone out of his hands. "This version has the new auto-centric feature to help you take better selfies." I explained before snapping a photo of myself.

I grimaced at the result. It was…disturbing to say the least. Calla and Chase both looked at me.

"Yeah, I don't photograph well." I admitted. Calla grinned and took the phone from me.

"Let me try." She requested, taking her own selfie. She smiled at the result and showed it to Chase. "Don't I look pretty?"

"Of course you do." Chase replied, trying to take the phone back. She obviously didn't want to let it go.

"Hey Calla, point that bad boy over here!" Adam called. We turned to see him holding a bowling ball. "You're going to want to record this perfection."

Chase frowned. "What's going on?" He asked. Adam and I quickly explained while Calla got the camera ready.

"I'll video tape one game, but then you guys got to let me work. I have my own pay check to earn." She reminded us. We all nodded.

"Alright. Three, two, one…" She counted down, pointing at Adam once she hit zero.

He grinned into the camera. "I'm Adam Davenport and this is Bionic Bowling." He announced. I grinned and started to do commentary.

"Adam is 6'2", a rare combination of strength and not much else." I told our fake audience. Adam frowned at the description, but didn't say anything. He turned to the pins, took a deep breath, and chucked the ball at them, knocking them all down.

"Whoo!" Adam cheered. Chase rolled his eyes, and I went to reset the pins.

"Please, I can do better than that." Chase commented. I gave him the bowling ball once I was done setting up all the pins. "I'm Chase Davenport and this is Telekinesis Bowling." He announced, giving Adam a look. I smirked.

"A native of Mission Creek, Chase's hobbies include being a tattletale and creeping out all girls but Calla." He said. Chase stopped and gave me a hard look. I shrugged in response.

Chase sighed and placed the bowling ball on the ground. He stepped back and sent the bowling ball at the pins using his telekinesis. It hit almost all of them, leaving Chase with a 7/10 split.

"Oh, the dreaded 7/10 split!" I exclaimed as Adam and I began to mock him. "Devastating, just devastating!"

"Leo, back off." Calla ordered. Chase raised his hand and the ball rolled backwards, knocking into the one pin and then the other. Chase grinned at the camera.

"You were saying?" he asked, chucking. Adam glared at him as I ran to set the pins up once again.

"Oh, it's so on!" He shouted. I ran over, the pins set up perfectly, and handed Adam his bowling ball. Adam turned back to the camera.

"Still Adam Davenport and this is Blast Wave Bowling." He told us. He looked like he was ready to throw the ball, but instead ended up dropping it. He took two steps to the left, stood behind Chase, and used his Blast Wave to send my him flying into the pins. He curled up in a ball as he hit the ground. We all ran over to him.

Chase rolled over onto his back with a groan. I grinned. "And we have a loser!" I announced, taking Chase's phone from Calla and aiming the camera at him. Chase gave me a look.

"Here." Calla offered, holding her hand out to him. He accepted it and got to his feet.

"Thanks." He smiled at her, then glared at Adam and I.

"Hey, no fighting boys." Calla told him, taking his hand. "Now come on."

"Where are we going?" he asked, following her out of the lab. She grinned.

"To get me some shoes…I mean, to open your savings account." She replied. Chase laughed. Me and Adam looked at each other and smirked. Chase actually thought Calla was kidding about the shoes.

Chase's POV

Man, I loved working at Tech Town! I got paid to be around technology. How could I possibly have a better job?

"Alright, huddle up team!" My boss, Scott, said with one foot on the podium that sat in the middle of the room. We all gathered around him. "Tomorrow is our biggest sale of the year. For us Techies, this is our world series and I'm your starting quarterback!"

He pretended to throw a football and I cheered him on. "Go team!" I shouted, trying to high five him. We both missed, but we ignored the failure. "Scott, I've studied all the specs and I'm ready to assist any customer that needs help."

I put my foot on the podium next to him and he immediately moved his up a level. "Great, because we are going to have more people in the store than ever before. Any questions?"

Kaitlin's hand shot right up. Scott looked at her. "Can we not do the sale?" she pleaded. Scott sighed.

"Kaitlin, remember what I said? Think before you speak and then don't speak." He told her. Kaitlin started miming him under her breath as he walked away. Sighing, I walked over to her.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine, just not a big fan of crowds." She replied. "When I worked at the pretzel hut, we had this big 3 for 1 sale."

I nodded, remembering when Leo came home, arms overflowing with pretzels. "It was a madhouse. " Kaitlin continued. "And the customer's wouldn't leave me alone. They all wanted the last cinnamon pretzel so I did what any sane person would do." I nodded again, figuring that she either ran for her life or shut down the shop.

"I ate it." I backed away a little, slightly disturbed by her tone of voice. "Then I sprayed everyone with hot butter and ran."

She smiled at me. "Anyway, I'm going to go grab a pretzel." She told me, walking off.

I watched her go. Why did Calla have to have such weird friends? Then I noticed Mr. Davenport walk in.

"Mr. Davenport, what are you doing here?" I questioned. "We're not allowed visitors at work."

He chuckled. "I'm not a visitor, I'm a celebrity." He corrected me. "And this celebrity needs a favour. Tomorrow is my anniversary and all Tasha wants in that stupid E-Phone. Even though I could make something better using junk from the trash."

I chuckled, agreeing with him. "So, if I get her one early, it will make her feel special, so just got get me a phone so I don't have to stay all night with these losers."

He looked at the crowd. Everyone there looked offended. "No way." I told Mr. Davenport. "I could lose my job, you have to go wait in my line."

Mr. Davenport chuckled, then realized I was serious. "Seriously?" he asked.

"Now." I ordered. He groaned in annoyance.

"I'm your father! You should at least have the decency-" I rolled my eyes and cut him off.

"Mr. Davenport, if the girlfriend card didn't work, I'm pretty sure the father card won't either." I told him. He frowned.

"Wait, you actually made Calla wait in line?" he questioned. I nodded, still remembering the look on her face. She'd been both shocked and angry at the same time. "Wow, you have a death wish."

"Just go!" I said again, pointing at the line.

"Fine." He relented. "Where's the end of the line?"

I walked over to the entrance and pointed at one of the mall's security guards. "You see that security guard with the golf cart?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's not so bad." Mr. Davenport replied.

"Yeah, well you might want to stop and ask him for a lift, because the line ends a mile past that." I told him before walking away.

Leo's POV

"Hey, who's limo is that blocking the bus lanes?" I asked, running over to where Jaden and Bree were talking. Bree shrugged.

"I don't know." She replied. "But I've always wanted to ride in one. They look so classy."

Suddenly, a trumpet went off. We turned to see a grey haired man roll out a red carpet. Principal Perry, wearing a fur coat and a pink boa, walked in. "Moring sewer sacks."

"Then again, looks can be deceiving." Bree corrected herself. Principal Perry walked over to us,

"Sorry about blocking the bus lanes. I can't walk too far in these." She showed us her high heels. "I haven't worn heels this high since I did the pageant tour."

Jaden frowned at her. "You were in beauty pageants?"

"Yep, never won though." Principal Perry replied. "Apparently it's not a talent to squat lift a two hundred and fifty pound barbell while rocking a bikini."

"I've done that hundreds of times." Jaden objected. Bree and I stared at him. "Wearing guy clothes, of course."

Principal Perry ignored him and turned to the grey haired man, whom I now realized was her chauffer. "Here's a five, Butch. Keep the heater pumping."

He left, tucking the five dollar bill into his jacket. "So how did you get a limo?" Bree asked.

"Daddy Davenport just gave a huge chunk of hush money for keeping your bionic secret." She replied, pulling a massive gold necklace out of her jacket. On the end was a large, bedazzled letter P. "I'm wearing your college funds, kids."

She then turned to face the rest of the school. "Gather around, puss pockets!" She shouted, drawing everyone's attention. "Since I have come into some recent moolah, I've decided to start giving back…to myself."

"How is that new?" Jaden muttered to Bree. She giggled.

"I hereby announce," Principal Perry continued, "that I am retiring as principal, effective the end of the week."

I stared at her, wondering if I was dreaming. "Yes!" The word burst from my lips before I could stop it. "I dreamed this day would come! Oh, it's time people."

I grabbed Bree's new phone from her hands and played the first song on her playlist. I started dancing gleefully around the school lobby. I didn't even care that everyone was staring. Today was the best day of my life!

I ended the dance with my fists in the air and my grinning face pointed towards the sky. A few people started clapping awkwardly.

"Are you done?" Perry asked, completely disgusted. "Because I've got to wash that off."

She walked towards the bench in the middle of the lobby and pulled off the top. Beneath the dingo logo was a hot tub.

"You bought the school a hot tub?" Bree gasped, amazed.

"No, I bought it for me." Perry replied. "And I'm taking it with me when I go. Much like the vending machine."

"Seriously? I basically live on that food!" Jaden complained. Perry leaned down and pulled on a red cap, then pulled off her fur coat and boa to reveal her striped red and white bathing suit. She tossed the coat at me and I felt the need to cover my eyes with it.

Perry lowered herself into the hot tub as the rest of the school left for their classes. Bree, Jaden and I just watched her in horrified shock.

"Take that undiagnosed skin condition." Perry said. I dropped the coat immediately.

Chase's POV

"Oh! The hot tub's empty!" Adam exclaimed, rushing down the stairs. It'd been a few days since Perry had shown it off and he'd been waiting all week for it to be Perry-less. "You'd better take your phone out of your pocket, Chase. I'm going to throw you in."

I knew that there was no stopping him, so I reached into my pocket to get my phone. There was nothing there. I quickly checked the other pocket, but it was empty too.

Oh no. "My phone. It's gone."

Adam grinned, not realizing how bad that was. "Perfect, let's do this."He grabbed me by the shoulder's, ready to throw me in.

"Adam, stop!" I exclaimed. He let go, confused.

"What?" He asked.

"That phone has our bionic bowling on it. If someone sees it, our secret will be exposed!" I told him. Adam sighed. "I must have left it back at the store! Let's go!"

We both raced out of the building. We sped over to Tech Town as fast as we could, nearly running into several people on our way. I skidded to a stop midway through the line.

"Calla!" I exclaimed. She was sitting on the ground, playing games on her laptop. She scowled half-heartedly when she saw me.

"Oh, have you changed your mind about getting me a phone early?" she asked, half teasingly. I ignored that.

"I lost my phone!" I exclaimed. "Did you borrow it?"

"No. What's the big deal?" she asked, sliding her laptop into her backpack. I quickly explained about the Bionic Bowling. "Oh, crap. You need to find that thing and fast."

"Yeah, can you help us?" I begged. She hesitated. "I'll buy you a new phone!"

"Make way!" She shouted, ducking under the rope divider. She shouldered her backpack and followed us into the store.

Leo's POV

Bree laughed in amusement as I danced up and down the stairs. I couldn't help it though. I was just so happy!

"I have never seen you this happy." She commented when I stopped. I grinned at her.

"I know. With Perry leaving, this baby bird is ready to fly!" I lifted my arms up and down, mimicking a bird.

Suddenly, the trumpeting sound started again. Butch rolled Perry into the lobby on a carriage. This time, she was wearing a white tuxedo.

She climbed off and looked at Butch. "Keep your legs warm in case we need to make a hast retreat." She advised him. He nodded and backed into the gym. She walked to the center of the room.

"Listen up!" she called. "I am happy to announce that after an exhausting twenty-two minute search, I have found your new principal!"

She gestured at the doors and the last person I wanted to see walked through them. "HEY-OH!" Trent shouted as he walked through, wearing a principal's jacket and light blue shorts.

"Trent?" I exclaimed, my happy mood disappearing at once. Trent grinned.

"That's right Dooley." He handed me a sheet of paper. "Your new schedule."

I looked at it, confused. "First period, theatre where you'll perform a one-man version of Annie for the entire school." Trent explained, pulling a red wig out of his jacket. He shoved it onto my head. "Then marching band where you'll be the drum major's baton!" He stared swinging his arm like the drum major would. "And then gym where…well, your embarrassment there goes without saying."

He and Perry chuckled to themselves. I looked at Bree for help, but I could tell that she was trying to stay out of this.

Chase's POV

Adam, Calla and I burst into the store. Scott noticed us immediately and walked over to us. "Chase, it's not even your shift and you're here? I'm impressed."

"I'm not here to work actually. I think I left my phone on the prodigy bar." I told him.

"Oh, you mean our packing area?" He gestured at the counter. It was piled high with phone boxes. Dread washed over me.

"Ahh." I moaned in shock. I looked at Adam and Calla. "Someone must have packed my phone with the others. We have to find it."

"Whoa, we?" Adam looked at me. "I just came to watch you freak out."

"That does sound fun." Calla murmured. I looked at her. "Just kidding."

Scott turned to face my coworkers. "Alright, it's game time." He announced.

"Scott, can you delay opening for a minute so I can find my phone?" I begged.

"Let me run it up the corporate ladder. Tick, tick, tick, tick…" he made hand movements as if he was climbing a ladder. "No."

I sighed. "Release the herd!" Scott shouted. One of my fellow workers, Brad, opened the rope fence and people came rushing in. I was soon trampled by customers.

"Now this is the show I bought tickets for!" I heard Adam laugh. Suddenly, I was grabbed by the arm and pulled out of the stampeding crowd.

"Thanks." I muttered to Calla as she let go of my arm.

"No prob. Now, what are we going to do about your phone situation?" she asked me. I watched as the stampede slowed until it was a nice, orderly line. Sometime during this, Scott had slipped out of the room.

"She started it!" Kaitlin yelled. We turned around to see Scott carrying her into the room. He set Kaitlin down in front of the phone counter.

"Kaitlin, guard the phones and don't let anyone touch them." Scott ordered, pulling what I hoped was a wig and not someone's real hair, out of Kaitlin's hands. "I've got to go find whoever this belongs to."

"Man, we're never going to be able to look for the phone with her on guard." I complained.

"Nope, but look on the bright side." Adam said. I frowned at him.

"What bright side?" I asked.

"I don't know. I'm just trying to be a more positive person." He replied. I glared at him. Calla sighed.

"What are we going to do?" she asked again.

Leo's POV

"Kill me." I pleaded to anyone that might have been listening. "Just kill me. Please."

Trent grinned at me, then walked into the lobby. I heard him whistle. "Alright, I've got some good news and I've got some bad news." He told the students.

"The bad news is that I'm instituting a school uniform policy." He said. I briefly wondered where he learned the word 'instituting'.

I heard a lot of complaints. "The good news," Trent continued "is only Dooley has to wear it."

I banged my head against the wall, not wanting anyone to see me wear this outfit. "Come on out sweet prince!" Trent ordered. I really had no choice.

I walked into the lobby. I was wearing a white shirt with a black jacket that had a large white collar and massive white buttons on it. I was also wearing black shorts and white knee-high socks. Everyone started laughing, even Bree. Although, she was decent enough to try and hide it behind her hand. I spun around in a circle, giving everyone a good look. Maybe if they got all their laughter out of their systems now, I wouldn't be ridiculed for the entire school year.

Trent walked over to Bree. "What are you laughing at?" he asked with a smile on his face. "This is your new uniform."

He pulled out a pink shirt with my face on it. Underneath the picture of my face was the words 'I'm related to this loser'.

Bree looked at him in shock. "Why are you dragging me into this?" she demanded. "What did I do?"

"A, you're related to him and B, I don't even really know." He laughed, draping the shirt over Bree's head like a hat. Jaden stepped out of the crowd and walked over to him.

"Come on man, don't you think that's enough?" he asked. Trent thought about it.

"No." He replied, high fiving one of the students and heading into his new office. Bree sighed and pulled the t-shirt off her head.

"He can not be principal!" she exclaimed as the crowd dispersed, leaving only the three of us. "He is worse than she is!"

"I can not believe I'm saying this, but we have to make Perry stay!" I sobbed. Jaden and Bree gave me sympathetic looks. Bree hugged me slightly.

Suddenly, Perry's head shot up from the hot tub. She was wearing a snorkel. "What are you doing down there?" I asked curiously.

"Just checking on my veggie dumplings." She replied, holing up a fishnet full of the food. We looked at her.

"Principal Perry, are you sure you want to retire?" Bree asked. "I mean, the position of principal comes with prestige."

"Bree's right. You're shaping America's youth." Jaden added.

"If I cared about shaping our youth, I'd still be teaching swimming lessons down at the swamp." She told us. We looked at her. "Hey, if a kid sees a gator coming, he'll swim."

I grabbed Jaden and Bree by the arms and pulled them over to a corner. "Look, this is not going to work." I told them. "The only way to persuade someone like that is with bribes and she already has money."

"What if she didn't?" Jaden asked. Bree and I looked at him. "Well, she would need more money if she was broke."

"Jay's got a point." Bree said, smiling. "We've got a few hours left until she officially retires. If we could get her to spend all of her money, she would have to stay."

I crossed my arms. "I don't know. It seems kind of crazy."

Bree raised an eyebrow at that. "Look at your outfit."

"I'm in." I replied quickly. We turned back to Perry.

"Principal Perry," Jaden decided to do the talking because as a football player, he was one of the few people on her good side "to celebrate your last day, we would all like to take you shopping."

"Pass. I'd rather die." She replied. Jaden looked at Bree for help.

"Come on!" Bree walked over to Perry, speaking in a low voice so only we could hear. "With my super speed, I can take you anywhere. Beverly Hills? New York Fifth Avenue?"

Perry seemed to like those options. "Well, I am an uptown girl. Fine, but before we go, can you grab that stray dumpling bobbing around beside my big toe?"

Bree reached for the dumpling with a disgusted look on her face, but Perry stopped her. "Never mind, I can do it." She grabbed it and lifted it out of the hot tub with her foot. "Want a bite?" she asked.

I stared at it and shook my head. Jaden frowned. "You know what's weird? I kinda want a bite."

"Gross." Bree commented.

Chase's POV

"I don't know what we're going to do." I said to Calla. Scott interrupted us.

"Uh-oh. We've got another scuffle in line. Some old rich guy tried to take a cutsie and that's a Tech Town no-no."

"Some old rich guy?" Calla questioned, a knowing smirk on her face. She knew exactly who that guy was and so did I.

"I'm going to need some muscle." Scott continued, looking around. He glanced at me for a second, then turned to Kaitlin. "Kaitlin, come with me."

I looked at him, only slightly offended. According the what the kids said at school, Kaitlin had once taken on a grizzly bear because she wanted the last piece of salmon at a picnic. And apparently, she won that fight.

I grabbed Calla's hand and dragged her over to Adam. "Okay, he's gone. You two make up excuses to look at customers' phones."

"What do we say?" Adam asked.

"I don't know! Be creative!" That was a bad choice of words. Never use the words 'be creative' around those two. Ever. Here's how it went for Adam:

"Can I borrow your phone?" He asked, walking over to one of the customers. "My car just broke down and I need to call a tow truck. You see my wife's making me dinner and she gets really upset when I'm late…" the customer held out his phone. "Whoa, whoa. Hold on, I'm not done." The customer looked confused. "Anyway, she's making me lasagne and it's my favourite. Okay, now."

Adam took the phone from the customer and began checking it for the videos. As for Calla…

"Yo, lend me your phone." She said, walking over to a guy our age. The guy looked at her.

"Why?" He asked. She rolled her eyes.

"Because I need to borrow it, duh." She replied, taking the phone out of his hands. "Thanks."

So, the lesson learned here – be a little more specific than 'be creative'.

Leo's POV

"Okay, you have to send me those photos." I grinned at Jaden. Bree and Perry were still shopping, leaving the two of us to wait back here for them. And after a little convincing (and begging) I had convinced Jaden to give me some blackmail material against his sister. You know, for emergencies. Or whenever I needed her to do my homework.

Jaden had come through alright. Calla would die if any of these photos he was showing me came to the public eye. He emailed them from his phone to mine just as Bree walked back in, carrying several shopping bags.

"Hey, where's your uniform?" she asked, noticing that I was wearing normal clothes.

"Trent sent it into the tailor. He didn't think it was snug enough." I replied.

"Where's Perry?" Jaden asked.

"Oh, she wanted to make an entrance." Bree replied. Suddenly, those trumpets went off again. Perry walked into the lobby, wearing a light blue ball gown and a princess tiara.

"Greetings peasants, it's fashion time." She announced.

"No offense, but you're fifty years late for the prom." I told her. She rolled her eyes.

Chase's POV

"We can't keep this up!" I exclaimed, walking over to Adam and Calla. "We've got to get to the boxes before the customers get to them."

I walked over to the table, where Kaitlin was guarding them again. She stepped in front of me before I could reach them. "Can we just um…"

"You are messing with the wrong girl on the wrong day." She told me, her voice scarily calm. I smiled fearfully and backed up.

"What are we going to do?" I demanded, totally freaking out by this point.

"Don't worry, we're going to find your phone." Adam told me, his hand on my shoulder. "No one will ever know, including Mr. Davenport."

"You're right." I said, calming down. "Thank you."

"Oh, hey! There's Mr. Davenport!" Calla exclaimed, pointing at the crowd. That's when I lost it.

"AHH!" I shouted, running and throwing myself at the boxes of phones. Kaitlin managed to jump out of the way seconds before I went barrelling into them. I got my feet, ignoring the stares, and started searching through the boxes as if my life depended on it.

Leo's POV

"Carry the two." I muttered under my breath as I entered the numbers into my calculator. Jaden was counting through all the bills and checks that Perry has already paid. Meanwhile, Bree was using one of the school's laptops to book a plane ticket.

"Alright. Now all we have to do is book Perry's trip to Spain so that she can run with the bulls." Jaden said, piling all the bills and receipts together. I sighed.

"Poor bulls. They don't stand a chance." I said. Perry walked back out of her office, wearing her white tuxedo once again. She sighed as she walked towards us.

"We need your credit card for one last purchase." Bree told her, getting to her feet.

"Forget it. I'm done buying stuff." Perry replied sadly. "I thought all this junk would make me happy, but it doesn't."

She seemed really upset. "I'm outta here." Perry said, walking away. I sighed.

"Well, I guess we should get used to Principal Trent." I said, pulling on the Annie wig. "I'd better go freckle up. I've got two shows and a matinee."

Bree and Jaden nodded, sympathy in both their eyes. "Alright you three." Perry said. "Grab this stuff and put it in my blimp."

Out of instinct, Jaden and I reached for the nearest item, a cheetah print cat tree, but Bree stopped us. "You know what? No." Perry turned and looked at her, surprised. "Do it yourself, Terri."

"Excuse me?" Perry asked, confused. Jaden and I walked over to Bree's side.

"You're not our principal anymore, so you can't tell us what to do." Bree replied.

"Yeah, she's right." "We're done taking orders from you." Jaden and I agreed and we all started to walk away.

"I said grab my stuff, fungus pigeons!" Perry shouted. We turned to look at her and a look of realization crossed over her face. "AH!" She gasped. "Wait, this feeling. It's what's missing. None of this junk will make me happy. What really matters in life is treating people poorly for my own amusement."

She walked over to us and gave us all a hug. "And nothing makes me feel more complete than doing it to you twerps."

Bree faked a smile. "What a wonderful life lesson." She said.

"Yeah." Principal Perry agreed. "I guess I'm not going to retire after all. It's back to my original plan of working until I drop and then getting stuffed and mounted over the gym door."

"You know what's weird?" I asked with a smile. "I kinda want to see that."

Chase's POV

I sighed and pushed the last phone box away. "We've checked every single phone!" I said. "I can't believe I did this. After all Mr. Davenport has done to protect our bionic secret, I blew it."

"Chase." Calla placed her hand on my shoulder. "There's Mr. Davenport."

"I know. We have to go tell him." I sighed. She nodded and followed me and Adam over to our father.

"Mr. Davenport, can I talk with you?" I asked.

"Unless you want to give me a free E-Phone, I don't want to hear it." He snapped irritably. I stopped him from walking past us.

"I think you do." I told him. "I messed up. I may have-"

Kaitlin cut me off. "Go home everybody!" She shouted. "The sale's over! We're out of phones!"

Everyone in the store, even Calla and Mr. Davenport started complaining. "Wait, what about the display model?" Mr. Davenport asked.

The girl at the display counter started going through the phones pictures. The first one was of Calla. The second was of Leo. Wait, Calla and Leo?

"Oh, no, no, no, no! Calla! Leo!" I exclaimed. That was the phone. That was my phone.

"Oh, Leo really doesn't photograph well." Adam commented.

"Yeah, I suppose we can sell the display model." Scott decided. Then, the entire phone started tramping and scrambling over one another to get to the phone.

"STOP IT!" Kaitlin screamed, standing up in the middle of the crowd, the phone in her hand. We all stared at it with greedy eyes.

"Look at you people!" Kaitlin cried. "It's just like the last pretzel, except it's a stupid phone! This is why I hate crowds! YOU'RE ALL LOVING GADGETS WHEN YOU SHOULD BE LOVING EACH OTHER!"

With that final word, she threw the phone onto the ground and jumped on it several times for emphasis. We all stared at her in surprise.

"Kaitlin." Scott tapped her on the shoulder, not looking very pleased. "You're fired."

She turned around and looked at him with a confused expression on her face. "May I ask why?"

He didn't answer, instead picking her up and physically removing her from the store. Mr. Davenport watched them for a moment before turning to us. "So, what did you want to tell me?"

"That…" I racked my mind for a decent lie "if you want to buy something for Tasha, you'd better hurry because the mall closes at nine."

Mr. Davenport nodded and went to look for something. Calla sighed.

"I seriously don't understand why she had to break the phone." She said sadly. I rolled my eyes. "She could have sold it to us. We're her friends."

"You really wanted an E-phone, didn't you?" I asked. She nodded sadly. I smiled. "Alright, how about this? I'll make sure to let you know beforehand when we get the new shipment. And we head over to George's Restaurant for dinner? I'm starved."

Calla smiled. "Let's go then." She said, taking my hand.

Leo's POV

We all watched as Principal Perry's stuff was hauled out of the school lobby. Bree looked at the older woman.

"So, you're not going to miss this stuff at all?" she asked.

"Nah. Just the hot tub." Principal Perry replied. "The school board deemed it inappropriate. If cooking your dinner in the same water you bathe in is inappropriate, then I don't want to be appropriate."

"How'd Trent take the news?" I asked. She shrugged.

"He was upset until I agreed to spring for a new gym teacher uniform." She replied. I smiled.

"A new uniform?" I asked. She nodded. "I can help with that."

Xxx

I smirked, my camera pointed at the doors. "Come on out, Trent!" I called. He stepped through the doors, a shocked expression on his face.

He was wearing a shiny blue shirt with black cuffs, a black collar and a black belt, all made of fur. His shorts were the same shiny blue, with black furry cuffs. Even Jaden couldn't help but laugh at his former teammate.

"I look ridiculous...ly awesome!" He exclaimed, much to our surprise. He high vied Principal Perry, grinning. "BEST EMOTION EVER!"


	6. Scramble the Orbs

Leo's POV

"What's taking them so long?" I asked myself. I was sitting downstairs in the lab, waiting for someone to arrive. I wanted to show off my latest (and first!) invention, but I needed a volunteer.

Finally, I heard the lab doors slide open. "Hey Adam," I greeted when I saw him walk in. I walked away from my desk and took a deep breath. "Attack me."

"No, no, no. I know how this works. First you tell me to attack you, I say no, and you taunt me until I snap. It's not going to happen." I threw a crumbled up piece of paper at him. "OH IT'S ON LITTLE MAN!"

He started towards me, but stopped when two, soccer ball shaped orbs started hovering above me. He backed up slightly, frowning at them. Then, the orbs shot two lasers at him, knocking him back several feet.

"Oh no!" He exclaimed, pushing himself off the ground. "The Christmas ornaments are turning against us!"

He jumped to his feet just as the orbs flew away. "No, you just got pulse-waved by my latest invention, attack orbs." I told him, not able to keep the pride out of my voice.

"Huh?" Adam asked, confused.

"When they perceive a threat within five feet of me, they attack." I explained, showing him the blue prints. "They're mobile robotic body guards."

"Impressive." He admitted. "But have you ever just thought of lifting weights or working out?"

"I designed them to protect you guys from Douglas and Krane." I informed him. "If I'm going to be a true inventor, I'm going to have to start making things without Big D or Calla's help. And if I prove myself, Big D might eventually let me be his business partner."

Eddy popped up on the screen by my desk. "Right." He laughed. "Because every billionaire needs an incompetent relative that brings nothing to the table."

I glared at him. Chase walked in and Adam grinned. "Speaking of."

"Hey guys." Chase greeted.

"Chase, why are you attacking Leo?" Adam asked. Chase frowned.

"What?" he asked, confused. In response, Adam pushed him towards me. My two attack orbs immediately flew in. I waved at Chase as he looked at the orbs.

"Ah!" He shouted as they blast-waved him. He flew backwards. Adam grinned.

"Awesome!" He high-fived me, just for the orbs to shoot him back as well. He landed next to Chase. "Do it again!" he exclaimed.

I looked up at the orbs, frowning. They were only supposed to shoot enemies or people attacking me. Not people who gave me high-fives. I shrugged. Oh well, it was probably nothing.

Chase's POV

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I asked, walking over to Calla. She held up the IPad she was looking at.

"Jaden's eighteenth birthday is coming up in a couple of week and I need to get him a gift." She replied. "And because it's his eighteenth, it has to be special."

"Ah." I nodded. "I thought you were visiting me at work."

Calla smiled softly at me. "I would, but your boss creeps me out."

"Scott's not creepy." I objected. She raised an eyebrow at me. "Okay, maybe a little weird, but not creepy."

"No, no. I agree with Calla." Bree told me. Calla smirked.

"Well, I'm going to go buy this. Why don't you meet me at the food court when you're on your lunch break? I could totally go for some tacos right now."

"Sure thing." I kissed her on the cheek and she walked over to the counter. Scott walked over to me and Bree just then.

"Well, if it isn't my employee of the week and my weak employee." He greeted. I chuckled, Bree didn't.

"Good one Scott." I told him. "It's funny because she's bad at her job."

Bree smiled at me. "Well, I would be better at it, but I have thing that get in the way, like friends and life."

Scott smirked at our bickering, then signalled for all of the employees to gather around him. "Listen up guys!" He called., walking over to the large monitor. "It's time for Tech Town's annual design your own app contest!"

He pointed at the screen, which said basically the same thing that he did. "Does the fun ever end around here?" Bree asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, usually when you show up." Scott shot back. We both laughed. "Back to the contest." Scott continued. "All entrants have twenty-four hours to upload their app to our website. Whoever has the most downloads by Friday, wins a five hundred dollar gift card."

He raised his foot, leaned it against the counter, and pulled the gift card out of his sock. "And please, apply yourselves this year." He told us. "I am so sick of winning."

"Don't worry Scott." I told him, smirking. "I'm definitely going to app-ply myself."

"No more tech puns." Scott told me. "A lady complained to corporate."

Bree smirked next to me. "That was me."

"Chase, no offense, but you're clearly out of your league." Scott told me. "You're never going to outshine the master."

I bit back a chuckle. He was the master? I didn't think so. "The master? You clearly have no idea who you're dealing with."

Scott was shocked. "How could you turn on me like this? I was your idol."

"Yeah, well now you're my competition." I replied.

"Sounds like you're challenging me." Scott said, glaring down at me. "And no one challenges me! Except my mom. She's my ride."

I frowned. Really? He walked away without another word, while I started to think of different ideas for my app.

Leo's POV

I always hated gym class. Always have, always will. But at least before, we used to play sports all the time while our gym teacher would be reading a magazine. We never really did anything fitness.

Trent however, took gym class seriously. And that meant sit ups.

"Keep going people." He ordered. Some of the kids were working their way towards a hundred sit ups. I was trying to reach my second one when Janelle walked over to me.

"Hey Leo." She greeted. I collapsed back onto the mat.

"Hey Janelle." I scrambled to my feet. "Fancy seeing you here while I'm getting jacked."

I flexed my non-existent muscles for emphasis.

"Are you done?" Janelle asked after a minute.

"Yes." I muttered, relaxing my arms. Janelle smiled.

"Good news." She told me. "I got you front row seats to my play tomorrow night! The History of Mission Creek" Two Hundred Years of Drought, Smallpox, and Cattle."

I faked a smile because I could see she was really excited about this. "So, what role do you play?" I asked.

"The founder of Mission Creek, Henrietta Shtomp." She replied. "It follows her as she spends sixteen weeks in a covered wagon on a mission to find a creek."

I looked at her. Seriously? That was our town's history? She noticed my expression. "You hate it don't you?" she guessed. "It's going to be boring."

"No, it won't. I'll keep the audience interested." I promised her quickly. "Even if I have to start the wave." I then demonstrated. "Go smallpox!"

Janelle laughed just as Adam walked over. He smiled at Janelle. "Well, howdy there miss Shtomp." He greeted. I frowned.

"Wait, you're in the play too?" I asked. Adam nodded.

"Yeah, I play the guy who gives her directions to the creek." He replied with a grin. "Check it out. 'M'am, you're standing in it'."

Suddenly, the school bell rang. Adam looked up and grinned.

"Hey Jessica, wait for me!" He called, running after the blonde. Janelle smiled at me.

"Well, see you Leo. Good luck with that sit up." She told me, walking away.

"Hey, I did one and it was spectacular!" I exclaimed. It didn't matter though, because she was already gone. I turned around to see Trent standing behind me. "Uh-oh."

"You know, I think you and I might have gotten off on the wrong foot." He told me.

"That foot's been kicking my butt for three years." I reminded him. He looked at me.

"Anyway, the school board says I have to be nicer to students." He continued. "So I'm offering you a non-threatening hug!"

He pulled me into the grizzly bear-like hug. It was terrifying. Suddenly, he pulled away, looking above me in fear. "What are those?" he demanded. I glanced up to see my attack orbs hovering above me. Perfect. They sent tow lasers as him and he was sent flying backwards.

"Those," I said "are working better than I expected."

Trent glared at me from the ground as I walked away, intending on meeting Janelle for lunch.

Chase's POV

When I walked back into the store after my break, there was a large group of people surrounding Scott, including Calla and my sister.

"Guys, what's going on?" I asked. Bree turned towards me, grinning.

"Scott unveiled his app early." She told me. "It's a game called Cavity Crusher and it's super addictive. You save the world by smashing evil candy."

"The candy's not evil, it's just misunderstood." Scott corrected, not looking up from his IPad.

"Who would ever be stupid enough to buy that game?" I asked. Suddenly Calla jumped up and down beside me, squealing.

"New High score!" She screamed. Bree looked at me.

"Don't answer that." I told her, glad that Calla hadn't heard the 'stupid' comment. I stepped up on the ledge next to me.

"Behold!" I shouted, getting everyone's attentions. "My app, Structure Scan! You can scan any item and it lists the elemental make up of its molecular structure."

Everyone looked at me, silent. I pulled out a pen to demonstrate with. "This pen is 30% ink, 64% polymer, and 6% steel." I read off my phone screen. "Come on people, how fun is that?"

They all turned back to their games. Scott yawned loudly. "Attention Cavity Crushers!" he called. "I just unlocked a new level. Follow me; we're going to Lollypop Lane." He smirked and kicked the air as he passed me.

"Calla!" I complained as she followed him. She waved me off, her eyes glued to her screen.

"I'll download your stupid app later." She promised, although I doubted that she would even remember saying that.

"I don't get it." I said to Bree. She smirked.

"Of course you don't. See these people are having what we call fun."

"Structure scans can be fun!" I objected. Scott walked over to me.

"Sure they can." He agreed. He pretended to scan me. "Oh look. 100% loser."

Everyone laughed. Calla sighed and walked over to me. "Here." She said. She showed me the download screen on my phone and I saw that my app had just been downloaded. Then she deleted Scott's app. "I can just play Flappy Bird."

I smiled at her. "You're sweet."

She smiled back. "I know."

Leo's POV

I poked my head into the living room, making sure it was clear. I'd been hiding out in my room for the past hour because of Adam. He was really nervous about the play (mainly because Jessica promised to be there) and had been forcing anyone he saw to practice his line with him. But I'd just heard him leave, so I thought I'd grab something to eat.

"Hey Mom." I greeted, walking by her. She stopped me.

"Don't 'Hey Mom' me, mister." She told me. "I got a call from the school saying you tormented the gym teacher with some crazy devices. What have I told you about taking things like that to school?"

"Well, technically I didn't take them to school." I said.

"Oh, so they just showed up on their own?" My mom asked sarcastically.

"Exactly, are we good here?" I tried to walk away, but she grabbed me by my hood, stopping me.

"We're not finished." She told me, getting a little angrier. Suddenly, my attack orbs flew up behind me.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" As scary as my mom was, I didn't want the orbs to attack her!

"Are these the devices?" she demanded, not realizing that they were about to attack.

"Mom, stay five feet away from me." I warned. She didn't listen.

"Excuse me? You do not tell me what to do. I will stand wherever I-Ahhhh!" The orbs shot her back and she flew into the wall.

"Mom!" I shouted, running towards her. Eddy appeared on the screen above her.

"It's about time somebody invented something useful around here." He said. I glared at him, then looked back at my mom.

"Are you alright?" I asked worriedly. She glared at me.

"Do you think I'm alright?" she demanded. I helped her onto the couch. "What just happened?" she demanded.

"How much do you remember?" I asked, trying to think of a way I could convince her not to yell at me.

"Leo!" She snapped.

"Okay, the orbs I invented shot you across the room because they can't tell the difference between a real threat and a mom threat." I told her. She looked at me angrily. "I'm not saying you're not threatening! You're scary!"

She looked at me. "I want you to get rid of them, now." She ordered.

"Good news Tasha!" Eddy exclaimed suddenly. "You went viral!"

We looked at him screen to see the clip of my mom flying across the room playing on it. My mom frowned at it as I brought it up on my phone.

"I don't know why you're so upset. You're going to knock Puppy Farts right out of the top spot."

Chase's POV

I walked into the store to see Scott doing that weird thing he called running. I stopped him as he reached me. "Hold it, Scott!" I turned to face the crowd. "Hello everybody. I'm back."

They all turned away with a groan. "No, no, no. I have a new app." I told them, expecting applause. Their groans just grew louder.

"Say hello to your new BFF Cheddy, your virtual assistant that does everything." I showed them the phone. Calla and Bree looked at me.

"Is that Eddy with a moustache?" Calla whispered to Bree. I ignored them, and started to demonstrate the app.

"Hello Cheddy, what's going on tonight?" I asked.

"Good evening Chase. I've ordered your favourite pizza, got you VIP concert tickets and completed all current homework assignments. Is there anything else, sir?"

I smiled. "That will be all Cheddy." I turned off the app and looked back at the crowd. "He's available for downloading now."

Almost everyone in the rom rushed to download him. Bree and Calla pulled me aside.

"What do you think you're doing?" Calla demanded. "That is Mr. Davenport's technology."

"No." I replied. "He created Eddy. This is Cheddy." Couldn't they tell the difference.

"We don't ch-care! You ch-stole his ch-idea!" Bree exclaimed.

"Cheddy is the original version of Eddy. Which was actually a very helpful program. It took years for him to turn into the jerk we all know and loathe."

"It is still Eddy." Bree told me.

"You're not listening!" I spat at her. "It's Cheddy!"

Leo's POV

"Now, stay!" I ordered, pointing at my very violent inventions. My mom walked in a second later.

"Leo, it's time to go to the play." She stopped when she saw the orbs in the capsules. "Why are those things still here? I thought I told you to get rid of them hours ago!"

I bit my lip. "Yes, but I ran into a little problem."

"What's the problem?" she asked.

"I can't turn them off." I told her. She looked at me.

"What?" She demanded. "That's it. I'm calling Donald."

"No!" I stopped her. "I need to show him I can do things on my own. Don't worry. I will figure something out after the play."

"You'd better." She warned me. "I can't handle anymore disasters."

I frowned at her. "You do realize that we're going to see a play with Adam in it, right?"

She frowned, but didn't object to the insult.

Chase's POV

I grinned as I watched the download counter that showed our apps on it. Mine was in the lead, with ten times the amount of downloads that Scott had. My boss off pouting in a corner, seriously depressed that I was going to win.

"Ha!" I said to Bree. "My app is outselling Scott's ten to one. How's it feel to be related to the guy that's going to win?"

"As embarrassing as ever." She replied.

"What are you so proud about? It's Mr. Davenport's creation." Calla reminded me.

"Guys, people in the tech world borrow ideas from each other all the time. I doubt he'd even care." I told them. Calla smiled.

"Well he's coming this way. Why don't you ask him?" She asked me. I turned around to see Mr. Davenport walking towards us.

"Mr. Davenport, what are you doing here?" I demanded. He looked at us and did not look happy.

"You won't believe this, but somebody stole Eddy and is selling him as Cheddy on the Tech Town website!" He shouted.

"What?" I acted surprised. "That's terrible!"

"I know it's terrible!" Mr. Davenport replied, using the same high pitched voice as I was.

"You should go rest." I told him, before Bree or Calla could tell him the truth. "I'll call the app police."

"No, I'm not leaving until I find out who did it." He replied, sitting down on one of the counters. "You know what? Perhaps I should speak to a manager!"

Judging by his tone of voice, I guessed that he already knew who stole the technology. But I still tried to hide it anyway.

"There's no reason-" "I'll get him!" Bree sang, interrupting me. She walked over, and dragged Scott over.

"May I help…oh it's you." Scott sneered, recognizing Mr. Davenport.

"Yeah, it's me." Mr. Davenport replied. "And I have a problem with 'Cheddy'."

Scott smiled. "Oh, hear that Chase? He has a problem with your Cheddy app. Ha-ha! I'll let you handle this one." He kicked the air then left, leaving me alone with an angry Mr. Davenport, and two smug girls.

"Chase, I'm really disappointed with you." Mr. Davenport told me. "You stole Eddy!"

"Oh no, Mr. Davenport. You're not listening. It's Cheddy." Bree told him, smiling gleefully. She was enjoying this way too much.

Leo's POV

"Leo." A voice was calling to me, dragging me out of my pleasant dreams. "Leo!"

I shot up immediately, finding myself sitting in the middle of Janelle's play. Crap! I must have fallen asleep! Remembering what I promised her earlier, I jumped to my feet.

"Go smallpox!" I shouted, raising my hands. Everyone stared at me. "Come on people, you have to get your hips into it!" I started wiggling my hips until my mom pulled me down into my seat.

At least I woke up in time to see Adam's scene. He galloped onto the stage, pretending to be riding an miniature horse on a stick.

"This is it." My mom whispered to me. "Adam's big line."

Adam took a drink from his canteen as Janelle walked up to him. "Excuse me, good sir. I'm on a mission to find a creek. Pray tell, have you seen one?"

Adam smiled, opened his mouth and…

Nothing came out. He stood there for a second, then "Line?"

"M'am, you're standing in it!" My mom whispered.

"Quiet Tasha, I'm trying to do a play!" Adam hissed at her, then stood there, trying to think of his line.

Chase's POV

"Look, I know you're angry, but if you hadn't invented Eddy, then I couldn't have invented Cheddy." I said to Mr. Davenport. "So, in a way, this is all on you."

Bree, Calla and Mr. Davenport all looked at me as if I was crazy and I have to admit, that wasn't my best excuse. "Taking credit for what isn't yours is wrong! Especially when what isn't yours is mine!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed.

"Yes, I know." I agreed. "But everybody loves Cheddy and if I tell them that it wasn't mine, it could crush my reputation."

"Chase, you're young. You'll recover." Mr. Davenport assured me. "Or maybe you won't. I really don't care."

"Again, I'll go get the manager." Bree offered, running off to find Scott. I sighed.

"How did you even find out?" I asked. Mr. Davenport didn't say anything, but glanced towards Calla. "Calla?"

"I'm sorry." She didn't sound too sorry. "But it's part of my job to inform him about things like this. And I'm not losing my job just so you can beat Scott."

"I guess you're right." I muttered as Bree and Scott walked over.

"What?" Scott asked.

"This is really difficult for me to say…" I started. Bree, once again, interrupted me.

"He didn't create the Cheddy app, he stole it." She told him. "See, easy?"

With that finally bit of mockery, she went off to help another customer. Scott looked at me.

"Is that true?" he asked. I nodded.

"It's Mr. Davenport's." I admitted. "I didn't want to lose, so I tried to pass his technology off as my own."

"You know Chase, admitting that was very big of…your sister." Scott said. "Now, it's time for my victory app."

He started running around the store, just as Bree walked over to me. "Your night's about to get worse, Chase. Everyone who bought the Cheddy app wants their money back." She told me. I frowned.

"What? Why?" I asked. Suddenly, Eddy's voice was coming from every part of the store. But instead of it being helpful, polite Cheddy, it was rude and cruel Eddy. "Oh no! Cheddy's using the computing power of all these devices to snarky Eddy faster."

"Never mind that." Mr. Davenport told me, pulling out his own phone. "You also forgot that Eddy's software is self-replicating. He's going to start infecting other devices soon."

I watched as Eddy's face appeared on many of the computer and phone screens throughout the store. "I think he already has."

He appeared on the massive monitor behind Mr. Davenport. "Hey look! Now I'm annoying in HD!" he cheered.

"How are we going to shut this thing down?" I asked.

"Well, we're going to have to delete the app at its source." Mr. Davenport replied. "I can reset Eddy's mainframe from here…unless you stole my app that does that too!"

I sighed. He was not going to let me off the hook for this. "Okay, as soon as I shut down and reboot the lab's network, we should all be Cheddy-free."

He pressed the button on his IPad and Eddy's screen started to dissolve back into the Tech Town logo. "What's happening?" Eddy cried. "I'm pixellating! I'm pixellating(1)!"

Everyone cheered once Cheddy was gone for good. "The Cheddy app is deleted, crisis averted." Mr. Davenport sighed. He pointed at me. " Except for you. Your crisis is just beginning."

Bree cheered. "Victory lap!" She exclaimed before running out of the store. She kicked the air before she left, just to mock Scott.

Leo's POV

Trent stopped me on my way back into the gym after intermission. He did not look happy with me.

"Trent…hey." I greeted nervously.

"I was fake nice to you and you blasted me!" He exclaimed. "The school board says that I can't torture you 'physically', but they didn't say anything about taking your ticket and ruining your life."

With that, he grabbed my ticket out of my hand, threw it towards the punch bowl, and ran into the gym. The second I turned to go get the ticket, he slammed the gym doors. I ran up to them, trying to open them, but he was holding them closed.

"I can't believe I'm actually fighting to get into this thing." I muttered to myself, before slamming my hand on the door.

"Alright Trent, you leave me with only one choice. I'm breaking the doors down." I warned him.

"Oh no, please don't." He replied in a mockingly small voice.

"Here I come!" I called as I ran at the doors. They flew open with easy when I touched them, and I ended up sprawled on the ground in front of everyone.

"You totally fell for it!" Trent exclaimed. He must have stepped back when I ran, which is why there was no resistance when I hit the doors. Suddenly, he stopped. "Oh no. Oh, the flying balls of doom!"

I looked up and saw my attack orbs. But hadn't I locked them down in the lab? How did they escape? "How'd they get out?" I wondered aloud.

The orbs focused on Trent. He panicked and ran for the door, pushing past people. "Out of my way! You're all losers!" he shouted as he tried to get to the exit doors.

The orbs started shooting at him, but he used different play props to defend himself. He stumbled onto the stage, using Adam as a shield. Janelle watched in horror from behind a curtain. "DOOLEY! MAKE IT STOP!"

I ran onto the stage. "Adam, help!" I begged.

"No, you help!" He shot back. "Go ask someone what my line is!"

I stared at him. Seriously? "Leo! Do something!" My mom shouted from behind one of the chairs.

"Working on it, Mom!" I called. I leapt upwards, grabbing onto the nearest orb. It hovered me above the crowd, flying everywhere. People below me started to panic. Janelle walked up to me.

"You are ruining my play!" She exclaimed.

"I am flying around on a metal ball!" I informed her. "Can we please not turn on each other now?"

Then it hit me. "That's it. I can make them turn on each other." I realized.

I twisted midair, forcing the orb I was holding to point at the other. They both focused on each other, ready to blast. I dropped to the ground and half a second later, the orbs each sent a laser at each other. They both blew up.

"What did we miss?" I looked up to see Big D run through the door with Bree, Calla and Chase right behind him. My mom glared at him.

"Oh!" Adam suddenly exclaimed. We all looked at him. "M'am, you're standing in it!"

We all started clapping, mainly because most of us thought he would never get the line correct.

Xxx

"Leo!" I looked up from my desk as Big D ran into the lab. He was holding what was left of my attack orbs.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"These orbs are some of the best work you've ever done." He told me.

"They tried to kill everyone." I reminded him.

"When you invent things, you learn through failure. And while this was an epic failure – I mean probably the worst failure I've ever seen and wow, people were running – it was also, if you let it be, an epic learning experience."

I sighed. "I guess." I agreed.

"You know, it's a long road up that mountain of my genius." Big D told me, his hand on my shoulder.

"I know. I'll get there." I told him.

"Well, now you're just talking crazy." He replied, handing me the orb's remains.


	7. Principal from Another Planet

Calla's POV

"This is going to be so awesome." I grinned at Chase from my spot on the couch. He was in the kitchen, arranging food pellets on a plate.

"I know!" He exclaimed. "I still can't believe your mom's letting you stay here overnight just to watch it."

"Both Jay and I got straight As on our midterm report cards, so she's rewarding us. I think Jaden mentioned something about going to see a baseball game with some of his friends next week." I explained. Chase nodded, then looked over my shoulder.

"Hey Adam!" he called.

"What's going on?" Adam asked.

"We're having a viewing party for tonight's lunar eclipse!" Chase exclaimed. Adam looked around.

"Yep, no girls except for Calla. Definitely a Chase party." Adam grinned.

"It's going to be epic!" Chase continued as if Adam hadn't insulted him. "I even prepared an out of this world feast. These are freeze-dried food pellets, just like the ones astronauts eat. Each cube contains an entire meal. This," he held one up "is turkey, peas, and mashed potatoes."

He popped it into his mouth. Adam picked one up off the plate and looked at it.

"Wow. Congrats Chase. You actually found a way to ruin food." Adam informed him. Chase grinned.

"No!" He exclaimed, his mouth full. "I made it better!"

Adam stared at him. "Oh really?" Chase nodded. "Food fight!"

He threw the pellet at Chase. It bounced harmlessly off his chest. "See, that's just lame." Adam complained. I smirked.

Chase ignored him and popped another food pellet into his mouth. I stopped him as he reached for another one. "Chase, those pellets contain a full meal each. You've already had four." I reminded him. "Don't you think that's enough?"

"Don't worry Calla." Chase told me, eating another one. I shrugged.

"Don't come crying to me when your stomach feels like it's about to explode." I teased. He smirked and put the plate down.

"Happy?" He asked. I smiled as he leaned down to kiss me. I pressed my lips to his just as Mr. Davenport ran in.

"Hurry up guys! You're going to miss the lunar eclipse!" He exclaimed just as our lips parted. "I haven't been this excited since the meteor shower of ninety-eight! WHOO!"

Chase and I raced outside. I leaned down and looked through the telescope at the night sky. The sight of the partially red moon was incredible. "This is amazing!" I exclaimed. "Why can't the moon look this cool every night?"

"It's my turn to see!" Chase exclaimed. I moved back to let him have his turn, but Mr. Davenport ran into him, pushing my boyfriend out of the way so that he could see for himself.

"No, it's my turn." Mr. Davenport corrected.

"Let me see, let me see." Chase pleaded, pushing Mr. Davenport aside,

"I want to see!" Adam exclaimed, pushing Chase to the side. "Ah, cool!" Adam looked at Mr. Davenport. "What am I looking at?"

We all sighed. "Adam, a lunar eclipse is a rare and breath taking event. The moon is passing directly behind the earth, blocking the light that normally illuminates it." Mr. Davenport explained.

"Wow." Adam looked at him. "Nothing more exciting than a slow moving shadow."

"Watching a lunar eclipse takes time and patience." I told him. "We're going to be here all night."

"Oh, great. It's like a sleepover, minus the fun." Adam grinned. Chase pushed him away from the telescope just as Bree walked in.

"What are you guys doing?" Bree asked.

"Looking at the lunar eclipse." Chase replied. Bree grinned.

"Cool! Let me see!" She exclaimed excitedly, pushing Chase onto the ground so she could look through the telescope.

"OH COME ON!" Chase shouted in frustration. Adam smirked.

"Now that's worth watching." He said before looking through the telescope with Bree and Mr. Davenport.

I sighed and offered Chase a hand. I pulled him to his feet. "Come on. Let them have their turn now, and we'll get ours later."

"Fine." We walked into the living room just as Leo came in. He was holding his camera.

"Hey Calla, want to help me with something?" He asked. Videotaping random things had become sort of a thing for us. I think it started when we started investigating Marcus', but now it was just something we did for fun half the time.

"Sure." I kissed Chase quickly before following Leo. "Okay, what are we taping tonight?"

Leo explained exactly what he wanted to film. I rolled my eyes. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "Seriously. Now start filming!"

"Fine." He handed med his camera and I pointed it on him.

"Leo Dooley and Calla Parker's video log of the lunar eclipse." Leo told them camera. "We're recording tonight's events as they happen in real time. No editing, no filters and no special effects."

For emphasis, I turned the camera towards Mr. Davenport. He was dealing with his aching back. "That's right folks; he's as old as he appears." I joked before turning off the camera.

"What are you guys filming anyway?" Chase asked, walking in from the hall. He was eating another one of those food pellets.

"We're filming the bizarre events that happen during lunar eclipses." Leo replied. "Lakes go dry, rivers turn red-"

"People won't stop talking?" Adam added as he and Bree walked into the living room. They sat down on the couch next to Chase.

"Calla, Leo, please don't tell me that you guys believe in all that lame folklore." Mr. Davenport requested, walking in.

"It's not folklore. It's true." Leo objected. "During the last eclipse, I saw a bird fly backwards and no one believed me."

We all sighed. Not this again. "It's not that we didn't believe you." Bree told him. "We just…don't care about the things you say."

Leo glared at her. "Leo, eclipses are astronomical events, okay?" Mr. Davenport told him. "It's not witch craft, it's science."

"That doesn't mean he's wrong though." I commented. Everyone looked at me.

"Not you too!" Chase complained. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, me too." I replied. Mr. Davenport looked at me.

"Seriously? I thought you were above believing in all that crazy stuff." He questioned. I shrugged.

"I'm not saying that I believe in magic or backward flying birds. But like Leo said, a lot of weird things happen during lunar eclipses. That's can't be just a coincidence."

"Yes, it can." Mr. Davenport argued. "Trust me, nothing bad is going to happen tonight."

Just then, Principal Perry ran through the door. "And I spoke too soon." Mr. Davenport added.

"Quick, everybody hide!" Principal Perry hissed, diving behind the couch. "Get down, get down, get down."

We all stared at her. "Principal Perry, what's wrong?" Chase asked, bewildered as to what she was doing.

"It might be faster to ask her what's right." Bree told him. Principal Perry took a deep breath, and stood up.

"Okay, I was up on my neighbour's roof, 'borrowing' their solar panels, when I saw it." She said.

"Saw what?" Leo demanded curiously.

"The space craft." Principal Perry whispered. Adam, Leo and I were hanging onto her every word. "The aliens are using the lunar eclipse to hide their space ship an invade earth."

Okay, while I believed that there was a great possibility of life on other planets, an alien invasion seemed a little farfetched. Adam obviously believed her though.

"Yeah, I read about this in line at the supermarket. It's true. Aliens live among us." He told everyone. "Oh, and Ryan Seacrest has a great meatloaf recipe. The secret; crackers."

Leo and I stared at him. "Oh my god." I breathed. "Adam actually read something."

"You see?" Leo looked at everyone. "You see? I told you! Weird things are happening tonight. First, Principal Perry sees a space ship, and then Adam claims to have read something."

"Look, there are no such things as aliens!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed. "It's all made up! There's a reason it's called science fiction!"

"Hey! I know UFOs!" Principal Perry argued. "I spent a LOT of nights sleeping alone in the desert and not just because my family dumped me there and drove off."

I hid my smirk behind my hand. "Can we do that?" I whispered to Chase. Principal Perry glared at me.

"I heard that, nerd girl!" She snapped. "And I definitely saw a space ship tonight!"

"Just like the time you definitely saw Bigfoot?" Chase questioned. "It ended up just being your toes in a mirror."

"It was dark!" Principal Perry objected. "Look! I know what I saw! And when the aliens invade, I'm going to be safely barricaded in your underground lab!"

She ran off, trying to find the entrance to the lab. "Well, on the bright side," Adam said with a smile "a girl other than Calla showed up to Chase's party."

"Seriously? Did you really have to go there?" Chase demanded, glaring at his brother. I smirked.

"Oh, did you want other girls here?" I asked curiously. He looked at me, fearful.

"Uh, no. No, of course not. But he didn't really need to make that comment." He said quickly. I smiled.

"Nice save." I patted his shoulder. "Now come on. Let's go make sure Perry hasn't broken anything expensive."

When we got down to the lab, Principal Perry had stacked a desk, a large shelf, my chair, and several other objects around her like a shield. She looked up when we walked in.

"Don't anybody move!" she ordered.

We stopped. "Why not?" Big D sighed in annoyance.

"I want to remember exactly what you look like before you get ripped apart by aliens." She replied. We all stared at her.

"Do you have any redeeming qualities?" Bree questioned.

Principal Perry slowly made her way out of her fort. "Does having violent mood swings considered redeeming?" She asked. We all exchanged silent looks. "I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!"

"Okay!" Big D exclaimed. "I'm going to put this whole alien nonsense to rest with real science."

He walked over to the consol and brought up a video of the lunar eclipse. "This is NASA's live satellite feed of the lunar eclipse. And as you maniacs can see-"

"Wait! Something just moved in front of the moon! Right there in the shadow." Leo interrupted him, pointing at the screen. We all looked at the screen closely. Sure enough, there was a fast moving blur in the dark part of the eclipsed moon.

"He's right." Chase sounded surprised.

"It's the space ship!" Principal Perry cried. "Like an infected mole, I can spot them a mile away! Or a foot away, because I've got a chunk of them on my hands."

"Eww." "Did not need to know that." Bree and I complained, disgusted.

"I'm sure there's a simple explanation for that." Mr. Davenport sighed, referring to the blur. "It's probably just space debris."

"No, trust me. I watch a lot of alien documentaries." Principal Perry told us. "This is the first phase of their plan."

Leo walked over to her, eyes wide. "What plan?" he questioned. "Calla, video tape this!"

I pulled out the camera and focused it on Principal Perry. "Look at the lens, but please direct your breath that way." I instructed, pointing to my left. She did as I asked.

"First, they hover and analyze the planet, then they infect someone and use their body as a host to multiply, and then-" Mr. Davenport went into the camera's view as she spoke.

"And then the movie ends and everyone goes home." He finished. He smiled at Principal Perry. "Good night, crazy."

"No, let her finish!" Leo stopped him. By this point, Adam was listening in too, intrigued.

"And then," Principal Perry continued, "the infected human lays eggs and in a few days, they take over the planet!"

Adam and Leo both gasped theatrically. "You guys can not be taking this seriously! Why are you gasping?"

Adam shrugged. "I enjoy a good gasp. I'm a gasper." He replied.

Suddenly, a loud groan came from Chase's stomach. I looked at him and saw that his face was scrunched up in pain. "What was that?" I questioned.

"My stomach's killing me." He complained. I raised an eyebrow.

"Could it be because of all those astronaut pellets you ate? Despite me telling you that you shouldn't?" I asked. Chase glared at me, then held his stomach as it groaned loudly again.

"Or…you were infected by an alien!" Principal Perry accused, pointing at Chase's stomach. Adam and Leo gasped again.

"I was not infected by an alien!" Chase shouted. Leo looked at him suspiciously.

"How could you be sure?" he asked. "You were gone for fifteen minutes."

"AHA!" Principal Perry exclaimed.

"I was in the bathroom! Should I invite you next time?" Chase snapped. His stomach groaned loudly again.

"I'm telling you. It's only a matter of time before his stomach explodes and five eggs pop out!" Principal Perry said, backing up. "Six if he's the queen."

"He's not an alien, let alone an alien queen." I objected.

"Wait, you think that Chase here is just going to start squirting out alien squid babies?" Bree questioned, smirking in amusement. Adam put his fist over his mouth.

"I'm going to be an uncle." He had proud tears in his eyes.

"He's not having any alien children!" I exclaimed. Seriously, where did they get these ideas?

"There's only one way to find out what's going on in there." Principal Perry decided. "I'm going to need two clamps, a roll of paper towels, and a machete."

She charged at Chase, who ran for his life. We all ran after them, trying to stop Principal Perry from dissecting my boyfriend.

"Leave me alone!" Chase shouted, running into the living room.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Principal Perry assured him. "I'm just going to split you open and destroy the alien babies inside of you!"

Chase screamed and ran behind the counter while Mr. Davenport ran in front of Principal Perry to stop her. "Chase has not been infected by an alien, so calm down Captain Kirk."

"Hey!" Principal Perry snapped. "I've been around enough truck stops at three am to know when something weird is going on and trust me, there's a bunch of E.T living in his little boy guts!"

She ran forward and grabbed Chase around his waist. Leo and I started pulling on Chase's arm while Adam and Bree were pulling on Perry's. We still couldn't get her to release her death grip on Chase.

"I don't know what's more shocking!" Bree exclaimed. "Perry thinking Chase is an alien or two bionic people struggling to subdue her!"

We finally managed to free Chase. Perry stumbled over to the counter when we pushed her away.

"Hey, what if Chase really was taken over by aliens?" Adam asked. "They're going to say 'take me to your leader' but he is our leader. This is so confusing."

"Stop it." Mr. Davenport ordered. "You guys are being ridiculous…"

I stopped listening then, and watched in both shock and disgust as a dark, smelly green liquid started dripping out of Perry's ears.

"Hey, what's that?" I asked, drawing everyone's attention.

"What's what?" Chase asked, confused. I pointed to the liquid.

"That gross stuff oozing out of her ears." I replied. They all frowned at it, just as confused as I was. Perry wiped some of it onto her hand.

"Probably just another infection from the bacteria in Lake Mission Creek." She shrugged. "Every Sunday, me and the gals go bare hand trout wrangling."

She sniffed the liquid, then wiped it on her sweater. "Eww, it's dripping all over the floor." Chase groaned. Adam looked at it.

"I want to lick it." We had to stop him from licking the disgustingness. Mr. Davenport walked over to Principal Perry and bent down so that he was eye level with her.

"Principal Perry, I'm very concerned about you…" For a second, I thought enough of the others' selflessness had rubbed off on him that he actually cared for other people. I was wrong. "…making a mess in my house. Out. Let's go."

He and Leo started to lead her out of the house. She stopped at the door. "I'm fine!" she insisted. Then, something changed. "This planet is ours now!"

The voice that came out was not her own. It was deeper, scarier. "That's probably just the bacteria talking." Bree suggested. Perry growled at us, light green slime pouring out of her mouth and onto the carpet. We all looked at Mr. Davenport for an explanation.

"Everyone calm down. There is no such thing as aliens." Mr. Davenport told us. I don't think any of us believed him.

Principal Perry roared just then. It was a loud, menacing, inhumane sound. Mr. Davenport looked at her for a second, then fainted onto the couch.

I felt Chase's hands wrap around my waist and pull me towards him. "You know what?" Leo asked, grabbing Chase and Adam's wrists. "We're just going to be back here. Carry on with your alien stuff."

He pulled us all behind the couch. I glanced at Mr. Davenport, then at my bottle of water on the coffee table. "Hey babe? Would you mind waking him up?" I asked. Chase saw my gaze, and nodded. He raised his hand, the other was still securely around me, and used his telekinesis to lift the bottle. He made it hover above Mr. Davenport. Then it turned in mid air, dumping the water onto my boss' face. He woke up with a startled cry.

"What's…oh." Mr. Davenport realized the situation in a millisecond, and leapt over the couch to join us. We watched in horror as Perry walked into the kitchen, speaking in a language that none of us understood.

"Do you have a scientific explanation for that?" Leo demanded, looking at Mr. Davenport.

"Well, it is cold and flu season." He replied nervously. Perry opened her mouth and a large, disgusting tongue shot out, licking Mr. Davenport in the face. We all screamed.

"Do you still think it's a cold?" Bree demanded.

"Nope. I'm on board. She's an alien." Mr. Davenport agreed, running behind Leo to use him as a shield.

"My spawn will wipe out human kind!" The alien roared. Perry started to spasm then, freaking us all out more than we were a minute ago. "Hey, why's everyone staring at me?"

It was Perry's voice this time, not the alien's. "You have a little something on your…everywhere." Leo managed to speak when none of us could find our voices.

"Babe, tell me you have an explanation for this." I looked at Chase hopefully. He sighed.

"Obviously, Principal Perry has been taken over by an alien." I had no clue how he could say that so calmly. "And she doesn't realize that it's wrestling for control of her body."

"Wow. The aliens want her?" Adam was stunned. "Man, how bad are things on that planet?"

"Who knows?" I shrugged. "Maybe her disgustingness reminds them of home."

Chase smirked. "Maybe." He agreed.

"I'm starving!" Perry exclaimed, interrupting our conversation. "I feel like I'm eating for six!"

"She's eating for six!" Mr. Davenport hissed. "She's going to have alien babies. I don't want to see that! Don't make me see that!"

"None of us want to see that, so quiet down!" I ordered. Great, there were only two adults in the building. One of them was possessed by an alien, and the other was having a panic attack. Looks like it was up to us to save the day. Again.

Perry spasmed again and trudged towards the kitchen. "Family meeting!" Chase declared, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the door with him.

"This is bad, this is bad, this is really, really bad!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed, looking a little crazy as he did so. "What do we do?"

"Well, I guess we can check panicking off the list!" Leo shouted.

"Okay, alright! We need to subdue Perry until we can find a way to get the alien out!" Chase decided. We looked at said principal, who was eating the pizza box.

"I'm pretty sure the alien wants out of her too." Bree exclaimed. "I mean, it can not be good in there."

Meanwhile, Mr. Davenport was having a mental break down. "Aliens exist?" he muttered. "Everything I know about the universe is wrong! If I can't trust science, I don't even know what's real anymore! Am I even good looking?"

I forced myself not to answer that one. I figured he'd gotten enough bad news today.

"I'm a little bit more concerned about the way that she looks!" Bree exclaimed. I turned and gasped when I saw Perry. Several parts of her skin had been replaced by what looked like green, mouldy patches.

"AHH!" We all screamed.

"Alright! We need to get her down to the lab and get her trapped in a capsule!" Chase shouted. "Maybe then we can figure out a way to save her!"

"Wait, wait, wait." Adam stopped us. "If aliens and Perry are wrestling for control of her body, maybe Perry will win."

We looked at Perry. She took a massive bite out of a porcelain plate and swallowed it. "Does it look like she's winning?" Leo growled. I looked at the others, wide eyed.

"The alien's actually beating Perry. A grizzly bear couldn't beat Perry. I'm fairly certain that a T-Rex couldn't beat Perry. But this thing can?" The thought of there being something scarier and stronger than Perry made me shake in my boots.

Perry took another bite of the plate. "How are we supposed to get her down to the lab?" Bree questioned. I smirked.

"I have an idea." I told them. I looked to the sky. "God, please don't let the scary alien eat me."

Then I jumped over the couch, ran forward, and grabbed the set of plates. Perry locked her eyes on me, but I was already running back to safety. I shoved the plates into Adam and Leo's hands. "We can use this as bait." I told them. "While you guys lead her down there, we're going to be down in the lab! Use the main door, we'll use the back one."

"Right." They agreed. Bree, Chase, Mr. Davenport and I snuck down to the lab while Adam and Leo started baiting her with the plates.

"That was quick thinking." Chase commented while we waited for them. I smiled at him.

"Thanks." I grinned. The lab doors slid open and Adam and Leo backed into the lab. Perry was barely a foot in front of them, staring with greedy eyes at the plate in Adam's hands.

"Lead her right into the capsule, Adam." Chase instructed. Leo, meanwhile, was videotaping the whole thing.

"We watch in wonder as the alien devours the last of my mother's wedding china." He declared. Perry took a bite of the plate, then froze. She spasmed again for a second, then looked around in confusion.

"Hey, why am I eating a plate?" she asked, obviously back to her normal self (if you can call it that). She felts the patches on her face. "What's going on with my skin? It's clearing up!"

"She's back to normal Perry. What do we do now?" Adam demanded. Chase looked around, trying to think of an idea. After a minute, he spun around and looked at Mr. Davenport, who had hidden himself in Perry's little fort.

"Hey, you got anything Mr. Davenport?" he asked desperately. He was still freaking out.

"It licked me." He was muttering. "It licked me."

"Well, he's obviously broken." I observed. Leo held the camera up so that the viewers could see Mr. Davenport.

"They say a crisis brings out the best in people. This is not one of those people." He said. Bree looked at Chase, smirking.

"Guys, if Perry still thinks that Chase is the alien, why don't we just use him as bait to trap her in one of the capsules."

"Great idea." Leo grinned. Judging by the look on Chase's face, he did not agree. Leo didn't notice however. "Chase, quick! Act like an alien!"

"What? I don't know how to act like an alien." He objected.

"Just try!" Bree ordered. Chase tensed up and let out a weird sort of sound. "That's a zombie." Bree told him. Chase stopped, then hissed.

"That's a vampire." I informed him. Chase sighed, then started acting weird, just like an alien might.

"That's you." Bree corrected him. Chase glared at her, while Bree and Adam ran to tell Perry that she was right. Leo and I decided to act like Chase was scaring us. Whatever Bree told Perry must have worked, because the principal began shooing Chase into a capsule. Chase ran in.

"Alright. I'm in my capsule, ready to be incinerated." He announced. Adam grinned.

"Great. I'll finish off Chase, then we'll deal with the alien." He decided. Bree stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"Great. The on switch is in that capsule." Leo pointed to the center capsule. "I'd push it, but ladies first." Perry didn't move. "That means you."

"Oh, right!" Perry ran towards the capsule. I ran over to my computer, ready to lock her in glass cage.

"We've got her!" I exclaimed. I reached for the button, only to be stopped by a large, green, three-fingered hand.

"Not so fast!" The alien hissed. I screamed, pulling my hand away and holding it to my chest. I can't believe that thing actually touched me! Perry spasmed again, gaining back control. "Wow, it's hot in here." She said, wiping her forehead. Then she realized what had become of her hand.

"Ah!" She screamed. "What is that?"

"Oh come on! Have you not figured it out yet?" Adam demanded, clearly annoyed with her stupidity. Wow, that was a sentence I never thought I'd ever say. "There's a plate eating alien inside of you!"

"No!" Perry shouted, pounding on her stomach. "Get it out! Get it out!"

"Leave it in! Leave it in!" The alien argued, trying to resist.

"Ahh! No, no!" Perry screamed, stumbling around the lab. "Don't worry! I can fight it off! When you have as many diseases as I have, you build up a lot of immunity!"

We watched the entire thing in stunned silence. After a couple of minutes, Adam sighed. "Guys, we're getting no where." He informed us.

"What's your bright idea?" Chase demanded. Adam shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe if I hit her hard enough, the alien will just pop right out." He suggested.

"Don't you think that's a little extreme?" "Can we actually do that?" Bree and I asked at the same time.

"Must multiply and conquer Earth!" The alien declared, having won the fight between itself and Perry. "Large forehead girl goes down first!"

Bree and I looked at each other. "She's talking to you!" We both exclaimed in unison.

Adam ran forward then and tried to punch Perry. She grabbed his hand, stopping him, and pushed him back towards us.

"It's stronger than Adam!" Mr. Davenport screamed. "We're all goners!"

He then ran screaming down the hall. We all watched for a moment. "Any other bright ideas?" Chase asked.

Perry roared at us, causing us all to back up slightly. "Tell you what. You guys discuss, I've got a thing." Leo said before running down the hall. It didn't take much convincing for us to follow. We ran throughout the house, trying to escape Perry. But we couldn't shake her.

"GUYS WAIT!" Adam shouted at us, while we were running through the living room. We all stopped, including Perry. "My cooking show's on."

Perry roared at him. "I'll record it." He decided. He pressed a button on the remote, and we all continued running and screaming. Eventually, we managed to lose her by splitting up.

"Guys?" I whispered as Chase and I snuck down the stairs. Adam and Bree slowly walked out from the hall, while Leo and Mr. Davenport climbed out from beneath the stairs.

"I think we lost her." Leo whispered to his camera.

"Great, let's hop in the car and get out of here." Mr. Davenport decided.

"We can't." Chase objected. "If that alien gets out into the general population, there's no stopping her. A lot of people will die."

"Yes." Mr. Davenport agreed. "But none of those people will be me."

Suddenly, Perry growled at us from behind. We turned, saw her standing behind the window, and screamed. And we started running once more.

Hours later, we had managed to hide from Perry. We found her down in the lab, sleeping on her side. "Chowing down on all those plates must have really tuckered her out." I decided.

"She's sleeping. Now's our chance to trap her." Chase whispered.

"Good idea." Bree agreed. Leo stepped forward, his camera ready.

"I just want one close up." He whispered. We tried to stop him, but he ignored us, getting closer and closer to the alien.

"When the creature is at rest, it almost seems gentle." He whispered for the sake of our viewers. We all watched nervously, praying that it wouldn't wake up.

"Leo, be careful." Adam whispered.

"Shh! Don't wake it up!" Leo hissed back. Suddenly, Perry sat up and grabbed Leo by the shoulders. Leo started screaming, as did we. Perry started pulling Leo out of the room.

"Stop her! We can't let her escape!" Chase exclaimed. We started forward, but stopped when Perry started spewing some green liquid. Make that acid. She started spewing green acid. It burned a hole in the bottom of the lab floor, just as Perry dragged a shouting Leo out of the lab.

"I'm filming my own demise!" He shouted before being wrenched from our sights. We all ran after them, carefully stepping over the smoking acid. Then I realized that someone was missing.

"Wait a minute." I told Chase, before jogging back to the lab. Mr. Davenport was cowering in the middle of it. "We're waiting!" I shouted.

"Oh, so we're all going?" He sounded surprised. I rolled my eyes and decided to leave him there. I ran after the others as they followed the path of green slime to…to the school? Why would an alien go there?

When we walked in, we found Leo leaning up against the stairwell wall. He was covered in green goo. "Leo? What are you doing?" Chase demanded.

"Oh, you know, just chilling." Leo replied, totally relaxed. "Hanging out in an alien web, waiting for the alien eggs to hatch AND EAT ME!"

I stared at the three, large eggs sitting in the center of the room. They were massive, the size of a hornet's nest, and were covered in bits of green goo.

"Where did those come from?" Bree demanded.

"Well, it wasn't the Easter Bunny!" Leo snapped. Suddenly, Perry came roaring out of her office. We all hid behind the nearest banister.

"Those things are going to hatch soon and when they do, I'm dinner!" Leo exclaimed.

"No, dinner was hours ago. Technically you'd be a midnight snack." Adam corrected him. Leo didn't look like he cared.

"Wait!" Chase shouted suddenly. "Maybe we can keep her from multiplying! Adam, use your heat vision to take out the pods!"

Adam stepped out from behind the banister and glared at the alien eggs. He melted them with three quick blasts of his heat vision. Perry roared in shock, but before she could do anything, something incredible happened.

The ceiling above her burst open and a bright, almost blinding light shone in. We all stared at it, even Mr. Davenport who was hiding in the recycling bin. How he got there, I would never know. We watched as Perry spoke to the light. I didn't understand the language, nor could anyone else.

"The mothership must be able to sense danger." Mr. Davenport realized. "It's calling the alien home."

The light intensified, then disappeared altogether, Perry along with it. Leo fell to the ground, the alien web having disappeared too.

"I'm free!" He gasped. We were all still too busy staring at the hole to pay any attention to him.

"Wow. I can't believe they took Perry." Adam said. I smirked.

"I can't wait to go home and tell Jaden that our principal was abducted by an alien." I grinned. "He'll never believe me."

"She's gone forever." Mr. Davenport sighed. Apparently, not many of us were actually sad to see her go. That was sort of cruel, but who said that the truth had to be pretty?

"Well, I'm sure we'll miss her someday." Leo said. Suddenly, the light was back. Perry fell back to the ground with a loud thud. There was a note stuck on her back.

"Let me see that." Chase instructed. I darted forward, snatched the note from Perry, and handed it to him. "It's in an alien language."

"Can you translate it?" I asked curiously.

"Give me a second." Chase murmured. "'If this thing represents human kind," he read "'you can keep your planet. We're moving onto Mars.'"

"Wow." Mr. Davenport exclaimed. "They really are a higher intelligence."

Xxx

"Wow." Mr. Davenport exclaimed. "They really are a higher intelligence."

The end credits started to roll on screen. Leo smirked proudly and looked at us. "There you go. Bionic Family VS Alien Principal. What do you think?" He asked.

"Good job Leo. That is guaranteed to win this year's annual sci-fi movie festival."

Adam didn't seem too sure though. "Perry as an alien, yes. But three bionic teens…I don't buy it."

"I still think you need to change the name." I interjected. "It's too long."

"You know who really nailed it though?" Chase asked, ignoring me. "Mr. Davenport. I totally believed you were scared."

"Well, I am quite the actor." He grinned. "But in then end, it's going to take more than an alien to scare-AHHH!"

Leo had pulled out the fake alien hand we'd used in the film and swiped at Mr. Davenport's face. We all laughed at him, while he glared at Leo.


	8. Taken

Chase's POV

"So I'm pretty sure Jaden has no idea what we're planning." Calla said to me, smiling widely. "He's going to be so surprised!"

"You know, Adam, Bree, and I can help with the party." I offered, already knowing that she was going to turn me down.

"Chase, do you remember what happened the last time you tried to throw a surprise party?" She asked teasingly. I sighed. No one was ever going to let us forget that disaster. "All you guys have to do is show up with presents. Leo and I can handle the rest."

The two of us had just gotten home from school and were heading down to the lab. Jaden's birthday was in a week, and we were all supposed to be throwing him a surprise party. Well, Calla and Leo were. They made it very, very clear that me and my siblings were bad at party planning. Not that I blamed them. After that party we tried to throw Leo…well, maybe it was for the best that they did all the planning.

"So, do you think he's going to like the IPad you got him?" I asked as the lab doors opened and we walked in.

"Yeah, he'll…holy crap." She stopped, staring. I followed her gaze to see a sleek, black motorbike sitting in the middle of the room. Surrounding it were Adam, Bree, and Leo.

"Whoa! Sweet bike!" I exclaimed rushing over. Calla was at my heels, eyes wide. Knowing her, she was thinking something along the lines of: I'm SO going to take this for a test drive when no one's looking.

"Okay, tell me this is the new company vehicle." She begged, grinning. Mr. Davenport walked in, wearing black skinny jeans and a black motorcycle jacket.

"So, what do you think?" He asked, talking about his outfit. I looked at him seriously.

"I think you're begging for a gang of bikers to do rotten things to you." I replied. He rolled his eyes.

"Hey!" Bree suddenly exclaimed. "Are those my pants?"

Mr. Davenport grinned. "Not anymore." He replied, adjusting his jacket. Bree looked positively disgusted. Mr. Davenport didn't notice though.

"So, what do you think of the bike? I call her the Davencycle. She's got autopilot, laser-guided weapon systems, and a tiny little flower vase, to brighten your day." He pulled a flower out of his jacket it and put it in the small little vase.

We all grinned. Maybe, unlikely but maybe, he might let us take it for a spin. Adam laughed. "Just throw in a little basket for Chase to ride in and we're good to go."

I ignored that. Suddenly, there was a static sound and the monitor above Leo's desk turned on. It revealed our least favourite-psychopath, Douglas.

"Hello? Anybody home?" He chuckled, waving. I sighed in annoyance. What could he want this time?

"He hacked you again?" Leo demanded, looking at Mr. Davenport. "Would it kill you to spend forty bucks on some security software?"

"I'm already on it." Calla sighed, sitting down at her desk and starting to type.

"I love the new lab, Donny." Douglas said, glancing around the best he could from the monitor. "Oh, tunnels! Industrial, yet classy."

"Take a hint ex-brother." Mr. Davenport snapped. "There's a reason why none of us accepted your friend requests."

"I accepted it." Adam interrupted, chuckling. We all stared at him. "What? His updates are hilarious! 'Looking forward to a weekend of evil, ;)'"

To prove his point, Adam winked, then grinned. "Listen, I don't have a lot of time!" Douglas exclaimed, sounding frustrated. "Krane will be back soon. He went out to get his head waxed."

"Fascinating." Mr. Davenport replied sarcastically. He glanced at Calla. "Cut the connection."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Douglas shouted. Calla stopped, her hand hovering above the button that would hang up on him. "This isn't another trick. You're in danger." Douglas told us. "Krane has completely lost it!"

"Oh, wow! So, the guy who keeps implanting himself with bionics is unstable?" I asked, sarcasm dripping from my voice. "Who could have seen that coming?"

"I'm serious." Douglas said. "Krane is using my technology to give himself new abilities I didn't even know were possible. He's a ticking time bomb and he sees you three as a threat."

"Hey! What about me?" "I'm dangerous!" Calla and Leo objected.

"Yeah, there's always a chance you two might faint on somebody." He admitted. Neither Calla nor Leo was pleased.

"Look, Adam, Bree, Chase…Calla and Leo can handle anything." Mr. Davenport growled. "And after everything you've done to our family, why should we trust you?"

Douglas had to stop and think. "Well…give me a minute…"

Calla smiled. "Take all the time you want." She told him before hitting the button. The monitor went black for a moment, then returned to its usual data screen.

"Douglas is up to something." Mr. Davenport muttered, stalking over to his computer. "He's obviously trying to distract us with this Krane guy."

"Maybe so, but what if he's telling the truth?" I asked. Bree nodded.

"We've seen Krane face to face. He's a total creep." She agreed.

"Yeah. Nice eyes though." Adam added. We ignored him.

"Trust me; this is exactly what Douglas wants." Mr. Davenport told us. "Don't fall for his trap. My brother is the real threat."

His tone left no room for argument. After a minute, Calla cleared her throat to end the silence. "So…who gets first dibs on riding the Davencycle?"

"Not on your life!" Mr. Davenport ran forward and wheeled the motorbike out of the room, leaving the rest of disappointed.

Xxx

"Where's Leo?" I asked, walking into the lab after breakfast.

"School." Bree replied. I chuckled.

"No, seriously? He took my lunch." I said. She smirked.

"Actually, that was me. And no, you're not getting it back." She teased. "And Leo really did go to school early. He said something about meeting Janelle before class so that they could go out Saturday night."

I nodded and walked over to where she and Adam sat. Last week, after hours and hours of pleading, we finally managed to convince Mr. Davenport to let us bring some furniture down to the lab to make it feel more cozy. All we had were two chairs, a couple of tables and a mini-fridge, but it made us feel like we had actual bedrooms, so it was pretty cool.

Anyway, Bree was texting someone. I figured it was Jaden because Bree had this big smile on her face. Adam was going through his lunchbox, trying to find something to eat. I pulled out my chemistry book for some light reading.

"Good news." We looked up as Mr. Davenport walked into the lab.

"We're kicking Chase off the team?" Adam asked excitedly. I gave him a look, not amused by his joke.

"No. Until I know what's going on with Douglas, nobody's going to school."

"Yes!" "Sweet!" "No way! I'm going to miss my chemistry test!" We all shouted. Bree smirked at me.

"Nerdiest sentence ever." She informed me. I rolled my eyes.

"Leo already left." Adam told Mr. Davenport, getting up. Mr. Davenport nodded.

"I sent Tasha to pick him up." He replied. I frowned, a thought occurring to me.

"What about Calla?" I asked. "If you're so worried about Douglas hurting us, what about her? He's already held her hostage once. Who's to say he won't do it again?"

"I'm not their father. I can't pull them out of school." He reminded us. He then saw the looks on our faces. "How about this? When Calla comes back here tonight for work, I'll let her borrow a few things from my weapons vault so that she can defend herself. And I'll give her a tracker so that if something does happen to her, we'll know where she is. Happy?"

I'd prefer for Calla to be safe with us, but since this was really the best he could do, I nodded. "Alright."

"Good. Now, I want to show you guys my new state of the art security fence that's capable of withstanding any threat, even bionic ones." He walked over to the main entrance to the lab. "Behold the-"

"Wait, let me guess." Bree interrupted him. "The Davenfence."

"No, that's lame." He chuckled. "This is the new cyber security perimeter Davenwall."

That wasn't lame at all, I thought sarcastically. "I control it remotely from my wristwatch." Mr. Davenport continued. He pressed his thumb to his watch and both entrances to the lab, the back and the front, revealed a light blue translucent wall.

"Lab security perimeter engaged." A robotic voice announced, the light from the walls disappearing.

"This little baby can only be turned on and off using my own personal thumb-print." He informed us. I smirked, seeing the flaw.

"Mr. Davenport, I applaud your efforts but I can easily break out of this thing using my fingerprint recognition app." I reminded him.

"Actually, you can't." He corrected. "I removed my fingerprints from your database."

I searched through my database and discovered that he was right. "Crap." I muttered.

"But I can go anytime I want, by wearing this." He pointed to his watch. Adam frowned.

"What if you lose the remote? We could be stuck in here forever!" He exclaimed. Mr. Davenport sighed.

"I'm not going to lose the remote." He assured my brother. He started to leave, but Adam stopped him.

"But what if it runs out of batteries?" He questioned.

"It doesn't use batteries." Mr. Davenport replied.

"But what if you lose your thumbs?" Adam asked, starting to get really worried.

"I'M NOT GOING TO LOSE MY THUMBS!" Mr. Davenport shouted, getting seriously annoyed. He quickly fled the lab before Adam could ask him anymore stupid questions.

Adam looked at us. "Just because he says it confidently, does not mean it can't happen."

Bree and I shrugged, deciding not to argue with him for out own sakes.

Leo's POV

"Please?" I begged again. Calla shook her head, pulling her bag out of her locker.

"No Leo. For the last time, I'm not going to write your Spanish essay for you!" She exclaimed. I sighed.

"Fine. But if I get an F, it's on you." I told her. She smirked.

"How will I live with the guilt?" She asked sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and turned around, intending on going to my Spanish class. I ended being face to face with Douglas.

"Ahh!" I shrieked, dropping my books. Then I tried to redeem myself. "I mean, ah." I corrected, my fists up and ready. Calla took the more violent approach. The second she saw Douglas, she reached into her bag and pulled out what looked like a miniature, silver laser gun. She pointed it at him, her other hand reaching into her pocket, likely trying to get to her phone.

"Relax." Douglas lifted his hands to show that he was unarmed.

"We are relaxed! I'm very relaxed! Let's do this, spiky! Let's get real!"

I charged at him, trying to punch him. He deflected my every blow. "Are you done?" he asked when I stopped. I glared at him in annoyance, but tried to act like I was winning.

"Ah. Giving up I see." I mused. Calla gave me a sideways look, her weapon still pointed at Douglas.

"What do you want?" She demanded. "And when you speak, keep in mind that we have the upper hand here. Two against one, and you're not even armed."

"Yeah, I noticed the weapon." He nodded at the thing in her hands. "Donny's design?"

"My own, actually. I've been carrying it with me since you kidnapped me and Jay the first time." She sneered. "So, what do you want?"

Douglas lowered his hands slowly. "You're both smart. You knew about me and Marcus long before anybody else, so you have to believe me about Krane."

I leaned in closer to Calla. "Let's hear him out." I whispered.

"Alright, talk." She ordered, lowering the weapon and putting it back in her bag.

"Krane and I used to be on the same page." Douglas explained, starting to walk around now that Calla's weapon was no longer pointed at him. "Get my kids back, use them to rob banks, pull scam…you know, garden variety bad guy stuff."

I nodded and Calla shrugged. "But I was never going to hurt them." He continued. We stared t him as if he'd lost his mind.

"Marcus tried to kill me!" "You held a gun to my head!" We exclaimed.

"I said them!" Douglas argued. We stared at him. "Listen, Krane is completely out of control. He's got a serious score to settle with the world, and now he has the bionics to do it."

I frowned. "Why does he want Adam, Bree, and Chase?" I questioned.

"He doesn't want them, he wants to destroy them. They're the only ones who can stand in his way." Douglas explained.

"He's going to kill them?" Calla asked, fists clenched.

"Look, I'm scared, kids." Douglas told us seriously. "And two should be too." He pulled out his phone. "Watch this."

He pressed play and what looked like an old person party appeared on screen. Calla and I both frowned, confused. What did that have to do with Adam, Bree, or Chase? Douglas merely chuckled. "Sorry, that's my thirty-ninth birthday party. We had a burger truck."

"Stop it." I told him. He hit a different button and a different video played.

The video was of a large, bald man. He was lying on what appeared to be a large medical table, with hundred of wires and tubes connected to it. The chair raised so that it was upright. He stepped off and raised his hands. Colourful energy seemed to burst from them, attacking the nearest objects.

Calla and I watched the scene with both horror and shock. "Yeah, that dude's no joke." I admitted.

"You're right about that. He's got to be ten, if not twenty times more powerful that the others." Calla agreed. She looked at Douglas. "But we do you want us to do?"

"Talk to my brother." He said, putting his hands on our shoulders. "He listens to you. He'll believe you."

Calla and I both nodded and Douglas started to leave. "Where are you going?" Calla called after him.

"I've got to get back before Krane blows a gasket." He replied. "Literally, he has one right under here." He pointed to a spot just under his collar bone, then left. I pulled out my phone and dialled Big D's number.

"Hello?"

"Big D, it's Leo. Listen-"

"What? Speak up, I can't hear you."

"It's Leo, listen. Douglas just came by the school and I hate to say it, but I think he's telling the truth about Krane."

"Ha-ha! Just kidding, you got my voice mail. The beep's on you."

Calla sighed in annoyance and pulled the phone out of my hand. "Krane, evil. Douglas, not lying. Your voicemail, stupid. Got it? Good."

She hung up and handed me back my phone. "So, what now?" She asked me. I was still staring at my phone.

"Who has a voicemail like that?" I demanded. She shrugged.

"He does. So, what now?" She repeated her question. I sighed.

"I guess we wait for him to call back." I replied. Calla nodded.

I tried to think for something that would distract us from this awful subject. I pointed at her bag. "You seriously built a handheld laser?" I questioned. She rolled her eyes.

"It's not a laser, Leo. It's my brand new, fully automatic-"

"If you say Calla-gun, I'm going to lose it." I warned her. She laughed.

"No, but I did consider it. It's my fully automatic Paragun. One hit from this will paralyse your legs. It always wears off after a couple of hours." She explained. "I've been testing it out on Jaden. He's not a fan."

"Why couldn't I test it out?" I complained. Calla smirked.

"Because I have some other things that you're going to help me test." She replied. I looked at her eagerly.

"Like what?" I asked. She thought about it.

"The exoskeleton 2.0, these really cool communication devices, MISS."

"MISS?" I repeated. She nodded.

"Trust me. That's going to be fun. You'll love it." She glanced at her watch. "Oh, crap! I'm late for my chemistry test! I can't miss that! I've got to go!"

I watched her run off in a hurry, wondering how many people would actually care whether or not they missed a chemistry test.

Douglas' POV

After my little visit with Leo and Calla, I had to make my cover story believable, so I headed to the supermarket that Krane and I usually went to. After picking up enough food to last us a few days, I headed back to our warehouse.

It wasn't the same one as before; Krane and I both expected the kids to come back to our old one, so we had to move. The new one was actually about a five minute drive from the school, scarily enough. I hated the idea of Krane being that close to the kids, but at least I could keep an eye on them easier.

I walked in, whistling cheerfully to keep up my façade. Krane was inside, fiddling with his bionic machine.

"Oh, hey. Sorry I'm late. I was at the grocery store." I told him. "The girl from the deli says hello."

"Nice try." Krane said, making me stop. "I know where you've been."

I sighed, wondering how he could possibly know. "Yeah, you got me. I talked to the assistants." I admitted. "But I was just trying to turn them over to our side."

Krane chuckled, much to my surprise. "Our side?" He repeated. "I work along now. I don't need you anymore."

That caught me off guard. "…okay. Well, you could have told me that before I gave you my share of this month's rent."

He didn't look amused. I gulped nervously. "Well…I guess I'll just get going then."

I started for the door. Suddenly, it was as if someone had grabbed me by the neck and started strangling me. I wasn't getting any air at all. I grabbed at my throat, realizing what was going on. I closed my eyes and went limp, praying that Krane would think I was dead.

Leo's POV

"Tell me!" I begged, following Calla out of the school cafeteria. All morning I'd been trying to convince her to give me a sneak peak of her new inventions, but so far she'd been tight lipped. I was ninety percent sure she was only keeping quiet because she knew it annoyed me.

"Please!" I begged again. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. It was a text from my mom. It read: Outside. Now.

"Well, she's obviously in a hurry." Calla mused, reading over my shoulder. I frowned.

"Let's go see what she wants." I said, leading the way outside. I saw my mom's car in the parking lot, but she wasn't in it.

"Where do you think-" I started, but a sudden pain erupted in the back of my head and everything went black.

Chase's POV

I looked away from my book, checking my phone. I had texted Calla twenty minutes ago, asking her how her day was going, but she hadn't responded. I shrugged it off. She must be in class.

I went back to my book, while Adam threw another object against the Davenwall. Bree watched, bored out of her mind. I did my best to ignore them, but it was hard to do.

"Awesome!" Adam chuckled as another object bounced off the wall. "Let's see what else I can throw."

I didn't even need to look up to know what he was thinking. "Don't even think about it." I told him, eyes on my page. Suddenly, my phone rang. My eyes lit up when I saw Calla's number appear on the screen.

"Hey beautiful." I greeted, a great big grin on my face.

"I really hope that was meant for my sister." I frowned at the distinctly male voice.

"Jaden, why do you have Calla's phone?" I asked.

"I found her backpack out on the curb, along with her phone and that STUPID Paragun. Leo's bag too."

"Really?" It wasn't like either of them to just leave their things lying around where they could be stolen.

"Yeah. Weird. Anyway, have you seen her?"

"No, why?" I asked, confused.

"She skipped her last two classes. I figured maybe there was a mission or something that they got called for."

"Nope, no mission. Maybe she and Leo are just off doing something stupid. It wouldn't be the first time they skipped class because they wanted to test out an invention." I reminded him.

"Yeah, I guess. If you see her though, tell her to call me. Oh, and that I've got her things."

"Will do." I promised, hanging up. I frowned at Adam and Bree. "Have you guys seen or heard from Calla or Leo? Jaden can't find them anywhere."

They both shook their heads just as Mr. Davenport walked in.

"Something's wrong." He said, walking past us briskly. "Leo and Calla just left a message that Douglas showed up at school and now I can't find them or Tasha."

I looked at the others worriedly. Could Douglas have kidnapped them? I followed my siblings as they walked up to Mr. Davenport.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll find them if you keep us locked down here in the basement." Bree smirked at him. Clearly, she didn't think that they were in that much trouble. Although, maybe they could be pulling a prank on Mr. Davenport. Yeah, that was it. And they got Jaden to help them by prank calling me. Yeah, of course. They were probably fine, just sitting around laughing their heads off. I was proven wrong a second later.

The monitor behind Mr. Davenport turned on, revealing a large room. In the center of it were Calla, Leo and Tasha, all tied together.

"Help us!" "Can anybody hear us!" "Kidnapped by a psychopath here!" They were shouting. To my utter relief, none of them looked hurt. Just scared and, in Calla's case, vaguely annoyed.

"I knew it." Mr. Davenport growled. "Douglas has them."

But it wasn't Douglas that stepped into view a second later. It was Krane.

"Guess again." He said. We all exchanged worried looks. While I was sure that Douglas wouldn't actually kill or injure Calla or the others, I wasn't so sure about Krane. I had the feeling that he wouldn't so much as hesitate if they annoyed him too much.

"Guys, don't worry." I told them as I pushed past Adam and Bree. "We'll get you out of there."

"Chase, don't make promises you can't keep!" Adam hissed at me. I turned to look at them.

"I'm not going to break that promise." I growled back. I wasn't going to let Krane hurt them.

"So you're Victor Krane?" Mr. Davenport assumed. Krane didn't answer. "I love the face. Do you get all the premium channels on that thing?" Mr. Davenport asked, referring to Krane's messed up face.

"Enough." Krane growled. "Hand over the bionic kids."

"Not going to happen." Mr. Davenport replied quickly.

"This isn't a game." Krane snapped. "I've sent you my coordinates. They have ten minutes to get here, or else."

Krane started to walk away from the screen, but Tasha managed to call out for Mr. Davenport first.

I ran over to the super computer and grabbed Mr. Davenport's tablet. Sure enough, the coordinates were there. "I got them. He's at the corner of Prescott and Maple." I informed everyone.

"Ooh, nice neighbour hood." Adam grinned. "Crime does pay."

Bree rolled her eyes. "Let's go!" She exclaimed. We all started towards our capsules, ready to change into our mission suits and take on Krane.

"No!" Mr. Davenport snapped. We all stopped, out of surprise rather than obedience. "There's too many unknowns with this Krane guy. This one I do alone."

We all stared at him. He couldn't be serious, could he? "You?" I demanded.

"Yes, me!" Mr. Davenport looked offended, but I didn't really care. We were bionic. We had the best chance or rescuing them. He had no chance. If he went alone, Krane would kill them. Didn't he care?

"Aww, it's so cute when he gets all macho." Adam teased. Mr. Davenport didn't look amused.

"Okay, no offense, but if this guy's too dangerous for us, then how are you going to beat him?" I desperately needed to know that he had a plan, and that he wasn't going in there blind.

"With this." Mr. Davenport raised his arm. He was wearing what looked like a large, grey bracelet. The top part of raised, revealing the two lasers. "My thermal blaster," he stated, pointing his arm forward and away from us "Trust me you do not want to be on the wrong end of this baby…"

He quickly turned the laser around so that it was no longer pointing towards him. "This is the most powerful weapon I've ever created. It's like carrying around a lightning bolt. It will fry Krane's circuits for good."

"Or you could wear you motorcycle outfit and he'll die of laughter." Adam suggested, grinning. I looked at Mr. Davenport, still worried.

"Look Mr. Davenport, you can't go alone." I told him. "Krane is a powerhouse. He's the toughest enemy we've ever faced."

"And without my speed, you'll never make it." Bree added.

"My Davencycle will get me there in plenty of time. I'll have Calla, Leo and Tasha back by dinner." He promised us.

"Okay, but if you're not back by six-thirty, we're eating without you." Adam informed him. Mr. Davenport ignored him and ran off.

I wanted to trust that he would keep it, but the thought of Calla being hurt somehow wouldn't leave my mind. I had to be the one to save her. I knew it was silly, but I needed to be able to be one hundred percent sure she was safe, and the only way to do that was to save her myself. And Tasha and Leo of course.

Leo's POV

Krane forcibly dragged us over to this large, grey box. My mom was complaining the entire time.

"You know, I am a fairly well known TV personality and this could bring a lot of heat your way." She threatened him.

"I've seen your reporting. I'm doing the world a favour." He snapped, pushing her into the box. He pushed Calla and I towards it, but we both stopped.

"Hey, if you hurt my family, I'm going to hunt you down, so you'd better take me out too." I told him. Calla nodded.

"Agreed. If you want to hurt any of them, you're going to have to go through me."

"Alright." He stepped forward and cracked his knuckles menacingly.

"Box it is." "That box sounds fun." Calla and I both stepped into the box quickly.

"You two really need to stop talking." My mom murmured to us. We both nodded our agreement just as Krane slammed the door in our faces. Calla immediately reached the door handle and tried to open it.

"Damn it, it's locked." She muttered. My mom glared at Krane.

"Adam, Bree, and Chase are going to be here any minute and they're going to take you down!" She shouted angrily.

"No, they won't." Krane replied. "Your ego-centric husband will try and be a hero and play right into my hands."

Suddenly, the door swung open behind him, revealing Big D. He managed to laugh once before it swung right back in his face.

"I work for an idiot, don't I?" Calla asked to no one in particular.

Big D pushed the door open again. "Sorry I'm late." He said. Krane almost smirked.

"No, you're right on time." He chuckled. Big D pointed a weapon on his arm at Krane and fired a laser at him. Krane bent over in pain and raised his hand as if to block the laser. Big D grinned at us and I couldn't help but grin back.

But slowly, Krane rose. His hand was still up, getting hit by the laser. He started chuckling and Big D had a worried look on his face.

"What's happening?" I questioned.

"I don't know how he's doing it, but he's draining all the power from my blaster!" He replied. Krane was still doing that laugh-like-a-crazy-evil-person routine and suddenly, the laser disappeared altogether. Big D fell to his knees, stunned.

He got to his feet, tapping the weapon. Clearly, it was out of energy. "Okay, well that was the main thrust to my plan. I guess it's going to be hand to hand combat."

"And we're doomed." I declared. No one disagreed with me.

Krane walked up to Big D calmly. Big D threw a punch his way, but Krane stopped it telekinetically. He pushed Big D to the ground using his telekinesis. "You stopped me from getting into the lab with your little security fix. Turn it off." Krane growled.

"Never!" Big D objected. Krane glared at him and pushed him again in frustration.

"I figured you say that. So I'm going to give you a choice. Adam, Bree, and Chase," Krane looked at us "Or Calla, Leo and Tasha. It's up to you."

We all exchanged worried looks. "I'll never make that choice!" Big D objected. Krane raised an eyebrow.

"How about now?" He pressed a button on the remote in his hand. Suddenly, several red lights turned on inside the box. Steam started bursting out through tiny ventilation grates and the temperature seemed to go up by fifty degrees. And it kept getting hotter.

"What's going on?" Calla demanded.

"An exo-thermic energy field." Krane replied. "It's like a microwave. Good for chicken, bad for humans."

Big D slowly got to his feet as Krane continued. "They should be well done in about…six minutes."

We all stared at him, wide eyed. Calla and I started shoving at the door, trying to push it open with our weight. "Just let them go, take me instead!" Big D begged. Krane looked amused.

"Well, that wouldn't be as much fun." He replied with a chuckle. "But you can stop this. All you have to do is turn off the security perimeter." Big D didn't answer. "Tick-tock."

Chase's POV

I bit my lip in concentration, cutting another wire on Mr. Davenport's super computer's hard drive.

"Hurry up!" Bree urged. "We have to get out of here and help them!"

"I'm trying!" I snapped. "I hacked through the encryption but it won't let me go any further without a fingerprint."

"I have a fingerprint." Adam offered. I sighed.

"I meant Mr. Davenport's." I replied. He frowned.

"Why would I have Mr. Davenport's fingerprint?" He asked. "Think Chase, think."

It took all my will power not to call him a complete imbecile. I went back to my work, trying to find a way around the fingerprint barrier.

"Hey, isn't that his coffee mug?" Bree asked suddenly. I looked up and saw that his favourite coffee mug, the one with a picture of his face on it, was sitting on the main consol.

"Good one.' Adam grinned. I quickly got to my feet. "Let's have a cup a joe and talk about the good old days while Chase figures this out."

He reached for the cup, but I stopped him. "Bree's right. I can use my fingerprint recognition app to pull his thumb print from the cup. Then we can shut down the perimeter."

"Okay." Adam agreed. Then he raised his hands. "But if that doesn't work, I've got twelve of these bad boys and odds are one of them is bound to do something."

I didn't stop to inform him that he only had ten fingers, not twelve. I quickly scanned the cup for the fingerprint and got back to my work. We would be out of there soon enough.

Leo's POV

I knew that after this experience, I would never be able to eat another microwave burrito again.

It was boiling inside the box that we were trapped in. Seriously, it felt like I was inside a volcano. I wasn't the only one suffering though. Both my mom and Calla were just as hot as I was, the latter having abandoned her jacket.

"Donald…" My mom complained. "DO SOMETHING!"

Big D looked at us worriedly, then glared at Krane. "Stop! They have nothing to do with it!"

"And yet they seem to have everything to do with it." Krane replied quickly.

"Don't give in, Big D!" I called. "We can take it!"

Krane raised an eyebrow at us. "Really?" He asked. He twisted a knob on his remote and the temperature doubled.

"Okay! Okay, that burns!" I admitted, shrugging off my sweater.

"STOP TALKING TO HIM!" My mom snapped at me. Calla sighed.

"Don't do as he says, Mr. Davenport. He'll kill Adam, Bree, and Chase if you do!" She shouted. My mom looked at her as if she was crazy.

"And you don't think he'll kill us?" She demanded. Calla shook her head and crossed her arms.

"I know he will. But I'd rather die, knowing that my friends are safe, than live in a world without them." She replied seriously. I stared at her in amazement. It was one thing for us to die for them, seeing as we were their family. But Calla, she wasn't. She wasn't their family. She didn't need to sacrifice herself for them. So why was she?

"You really do love him." I realized, remembering what she said to Chase when he was under the Triton app's control. Calla smiled softly.

"Wasn't it obvious?" She replied.

"How touching." Krane sneered. He looked at Big D. "You're running out of time, Davenport."

Big D reached for the remote, only to be pushed away telekinetically. "I thought you were smarter than this."

"He really isn't." Calla told him. He ignored her.

"You'll never beat me." Krane growled. "Give me Adam, Bree and Chase or I will kill you."

"Don't do it!" I shouted. Suddenly, Big D's watch beeped. He got to his feet, staring at it.

"What's that?" Krane questioned. Big D faked a smile.

"Nothing. My fantasy football team is winning." He lied. He started tapping on the watch.

"Lab security perimeter disengaged." It said loudly. I looked at Big D, horrified.

"Why'd you turn it off?" I demanded.

"I didn't!" He exclaimed, desperately trying to turn it off. Krane started laughing. "It's okay. I can rearm it from here." Big D assured us.

"Too late." Krane turned away and then suddenly, he was gone. We stared at the spot he'd been, shocked.

"HE CAN GEOLEAP?!" Big D exclaimed. "I haven't even cracked that yet!"

"You know what? I'd love to help you with that if my brain cells weren't boiling!"

"Right. On it!" Big D started looking for a way to get us out of that box. I couldn't help but think of my siblings. Krane was coming for them, and it wasn't going to be pretty.

Big D started going through all of Krane and Douglas' inventions, looking for a way to get us out. But it was taking too long us. Krane said six minutes. I was pretty sure at least four, if not five, had gone by.

"Get us out of here!" Calla pleaded. 'use your blaster-thingy!"

"I can't use my thermal blaster because Krane drained all the power out of it!" He reminded her. He slammed his hands down on the table. "What kind of super villain's lair doesn't have a large device for cutting metal?"

"Just do something! I can't take much more!" My mom sobbed. Big D looked at her, then ran over to the other side of the lab to check for more inventions. Suddenly, an idea came to me.

"Wait!" I shouted, making him stop. "This lab must be tied to a huge power source. Can't you patch that into the thermal-blaster?"

Big D looked around. He grinned and pointed at something that I couldn't see. "Yes!" He exclaimed. "And if I reverse the polarity, it'll pull the heat from the cube and burn a hole in the door."

"Is that safe?" My mom asked.

"I don't know. Maybe we should consult the manual before we rush into anything." He replied sarcastically.

"JUST DO IT!" I practically screamed. I heard some sparks, so I assumed that he was doing it.

"Okay, here goes." He warned us. We all ducked to avoid being killed in case this went horribly wrong. There was a loud sound, sort of like a suction tube, and suddenly, the door caught fire. The fire burned away quickly, leaving a whole. We stood there for a minute, both stunned and enjoying the nice, cold air that was washing over us.

We all quickly piled out of the box, into the cooler air. Big D pulled me and my mom into a big only to push us away a second later. "Hot, hot, hot. You're burning me. You're burning me."

We all stood there for a few moments, cooling down. "Come on." Big D gestured at the

Chase's POV

Adam, Bree, and I emerged from our capsules, dressed in our mission uniforms. "Come on. Let's get out of here." Bree said as we raced for the door. Suddenly, a dark shape randomly appeared in front of us. We stumbled back in surprise as the shape changed to become Victor Krane.

"Not so fast." He was smiling cruelly. We stared at him, still a little surprised that he just appeared like that.

"Quick! Turn the fence back on!" Adam hissed at me. Unfortunately, it was a little late for that.

We started circling Krane, watching his every move. He looked at us, amused. "So, how would you like your lives to end?"

"Living on Mars." Adam replied. "Accidently take off my helmet."

Krane stared at him, but Adam didn't give him the chance to question his statement. "Get him!" he shouted, sending his heat vision at Krane. He held us his hands and the fire seemed to stop and hover between them. Then, as soon as Adam stopped shooting at him, he sent the fireball flying at us. We all ducked and it flew over our heads.

Bree sped over to the consol and sped back, Mr. Davenport tablet in her hands. "Later, freak." She said, hitting a button. The floor beneath Krane dropped and he was sent tumbling down into the hole. However, he jumped out with ease, chuckling.

He waved his hands and a pinkish wave hit Bree. "Bree!" Adam cried. She flew backwards, into the wall and crumpled to the ground.

We both glared at Krane furiously. No one hurts our sister. Adam ran forward and tackled Krane, both of them ending up in the hole. Meanwhile, I went to make sure Bree was alright.

"You okay?" I asked, helping her up. She nodded and glanced at the hole. Several grunts and bangs were coming from it.

Finally, they stopped. Adam leapt out of the hole. "Got him!" He announced. I quickly picked up the IPad and closed the compartment. I high-fived Adam.

Suddenly, Krane appeared next to us. "Nevermind! Get him!" Adam exclaimed. We all started towards him, but were held back by some invisible force. Krane telekinetically lifted us into the air. Krane smirked, and with a sudden force, threw us at the ground. We landed with three really loud and painful thuds.

"Well, this has been fun." He said as we lay on the ground, still stunned. "But all good things must come to an end."

Fire flew from both his hands. This was it. Krane was going to kill us. My life flashed before my eyes. It had a lot of Calla it.

Suddenly, a fireball hit Krane and knocked him back several feet. We all sat up, shocked and relived as Douglas walked in. He was carrying a massive laser in his hands, a grin on his face.

"Hi kids. Good to you." He greeted calmly before pointing the laser back at Krane. We quickly climbed to our feet and ran out of the way.

"I though I finished you." Krane growled.

"Yeah, that's what I wanted you to think." Douglas replied. He glanced at us. "I'm getting pretty good at faking my own death."

We stayed silent, still surprised that he had saved us. "Good luck faking your way out of this!" Krane shouted while Douglas was distracted. He sent an electric blast at Douglas, who fell back with a cry of pain.

He rolled over onto his side, holding his smoking shoulder. "Kids, you might want to leave for this next part!" He warned us, covering his face. A fireball spread between Krane's fingers as he prepared to blast him.

I didn't even have time to think. Before I knew it, I was running to Douglas' side. I fell to my knees, sliding in front of him. I barely had time to spin around and create my force field when Krane shot his fireball. It bounced off my force field and hit back several feet.

"Dude!" Adam and Bree were grinning. My brother patted me on the back. "You finally did something!"

Douglas was already on his feet. He picked up the laser and pointed at Krane. "I should have done this a long time ago."

"GUYS!" We turned to see Mr. Davenport run through the hall. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw that Calla, Leo, and Tasha were right behind him. Even Douglas turned to look. While he was distracted, Krane disappeared.

"NO!" Douglas screamed. "You let him get away!"

"Get out of my house!" Mr. Davenport snarled furiously, threatening Douglas with the thermal-blaster. Douglas dropped the laser and raised his hands.

"No, Mr. Davenport. It's okay." I told him, stepping forward. "Douglas saved us from Krane."

"Saved you?" Mr. Davenport repeated. "He's the reason we're having to fight Krane in the first place!"

"Don, I can explain. I-" Douglas started but Mr. Davenport wasn't in a listening mood.

"You're lucky I'm letting you go! Now get out of here before I change my mind!" Mr. Davenport shouted. Douglas looked at him, and Mr. Davenport glared back. After a moment of silence, Adam stepped over to Mr. Davenport.

"If you're going to shoot him, can you get it over with? Because this is getting really uncomfortable." He whispered. Douglas sighed.

"Don-"

"NOW." Mr. Davenport growled. Douglas nodded and slowly walked out of the lab. As soon as he was gone, Mr. Davenport put down his weapon. He turned to us.

"Are you three alright? Douglas and Krane didn't hurt you?" He asked worriedly. We all nodded, not speaking. "Good."

"Why did you do that?" I finally asked. Mr. Davenport frowned.

"Chase, it's Douglas' fault that Krane's so powerful. If it wasn't for him, Krane probably wouldn't even know you guys exist, let alone want to kill you." He objected.

"You could have at least heard him out!" I exclaimed, angry. I knew that Douglas did terrible things in the past. And I knew that he wasn't entirely a good person. But he saved our lives, even put his on the line. Shouldn't that count for something?

"He didn't deserve to be heard out." Mr. Davenport snapped. I opened my mouth to argue, but he silenced me with a furious glare. "I'm not having this discussion with you, Chase."

He walked upstairs without another word. Tasha sighed. "He's just stressed out." She told us. "I'm sure he'll be in a better mood in the morning."

"Right." I agreed. He still wouldn't listen then, though. Even Adam could figure that one out.

"We're glad you're okay." Bree smiled at her, then at Calla and Leo. "You guys too."

Leo smirked. "Well, what would you have done without us?" He asked.

I smiled and pulled Calla into my arms. "I have no idea." I murmured. I frowned and turned her around. "So, why are you so hot? And I didn't mean that just as a compliment."

Calla laughed. "Giant microwave." She replied. She noticed my confused expression. "It's a long story."

"I'll let you two explain." Tasha told them before heading upstairs. Calla sighed.

"Actually, Leo should do that. My parents must be freaking out. I was supposed to home…" she checked the time on her computer. "Three hours ago. They're so going to kill me."

"I texted Jaden and told him to cover for you. He found your stuff at the school." Bree informed her. Calla grinned.

"Thanks Bree." She smiled. "But I should still get going."

"I'll walk you home." I offered. She nodded and waited for me to change out of my mission uniform.

"So, what's this about a giant microwave?" I asked curiously as we walked out my front door. She quickly explained what happened back at Krane's hideout and then I explained what happened back at the lab.

"So…do you really think Douglas is trustable?" She asked after a moment. I thought about it for a minute.

Reasons not to trust him: He kidnapped each and every one of us at one point or another, tried to turn me against my siblings, and blew up the lab. Reasons to trust him: He never actually hurt any of us, he saved me from that avalanche, and he saved our lives from Krane tonight.

"I…I think so." I admitted after a minute. "Sure, he's done some bad things, but every one deserves a second chance, right?"

Calla was silent for a moment. "I guess you're right." She agreed after a minute.

"You don't trust him." I guessed. She sighed.

"Not really. But if you're willing to give him a second chance, so am I." She smiled at me and I smiled back. "The question is, how are we going to convince Mr. Davenport?"

I sighed. "I don't know." I admitted. "I don't know."

Xxx

"Do you think he's going to fall for it?" Bree whispered to me. I shrugged, watching as Mr. Davenport walked out of the lab's storage room. He'd been in there an hour, doing inventory in an attempt to calm down. While he was doing that, we had an idea.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" He asked, wondering why we were all just standing in the hallway.

"Safely watching you from outside the cyber perimeter we turned on." Bree replied. He nodded, an amused smirk on his face.

"I see. This is revenge for me trapping you in the lab." He realized. I looked at my watch, double-checking the voltage.

"No, the real revenge will happen when you touch the fence. We upped the voltage. I should know. I touched it three times." Adam replied. Mr. Davenport frowned.

"Yep, and then we upped it again." I informed him. "The slightest contact will short-circuit the entire house. And leave you hairless. Enjoy." I walked just out of his view, listening to him and my siblings.

"I get it. You guys want me to think it's on, but it's not really on." Mr. Davenport assumed.

"Whatever you need to tell yourself." Adam replied before joining me.

"Of course you would expect me to think it's not on, so therefore it…may actually be on."

"It's a real possibility isn't it?" Bree mused. "Bye-Bye."

Bree skipped towards us as he called out "But only a fool would think it's on and I'm no fool. I'm a genius. So there is absolutely no way that this thing is on."

I handed Adam and Bree each a flashlight. There was a loud zap, a scream, and the lights went out. We turned on the flashlights.

"I told you he would fall for it."


	9. The Rats Strike Back

Calla's POV

"Okay, I'm finally done." I sighed, placing the last of the forms on top of my pile of completed forms. Mr. Davenport had given me a serious work load today because his last six inventions sold without a hitch. As good as that was for business, it also meant six hundred order forms for me to fill out. And of course, Leo hadn't been much help. He just sat next to me, playing Pokémon on his 3DS.

Suddenly, the lab doors opened. Adam, Bree, and Chase staggered in wearing their mission suits, their shoulders slumped with exhaustion.

"Hey guys." I greeted. They hardly acknowledged me, Chase barely giving me a tired smile. They all looked dead on their feet, and I didn't blame them. There'd been a terrorist attack downtown and although they had managed to stop them before anyone was killed, they'd been running around the city for almost eight hours straight trying to stop the guys.

"That was a successful mission!" Mr. Davenport grinned, not noticing their exhaustion. "Sure you blew a lot of stuff up, but hey. That's the city's problem now."

They all ignored him, slumping down into chairs or, in Adam's case, lying down on one of the counters.

"I am so exhausted." Bree complained. "I can't wait to just stand up and go to sleep."

Mr. Davenport nodded. "Well you guys get your rest. My big NASA presentation is this week and we still have to complete training on my gravity propulsion belt."

Leo grinned, getting out of the seat next to me. "I don't know what that is, but it sounds like it does a lot more than hold up my pants."

Mr. Davenport smirked at him then walked over to Adam, Bree and Chase. "This is a huge contract. If NASA buys this, astronauts will be able to space walk anywhere in the galaxy. They might even name a moon after me. Or a planet." We all shuddered at the thought of Davenearth. "Things are going to land on me!"

We all chuckled in amusement. He started to walk out. "I'll see you guys bright and early in the morning. Calla, I want you here by seven."

We all stared at him, upset. "Tomorrow?" Leo repeated. "No, no. That's not going to work. I planned an awesome cyber pong tournament. I made nicknames and everything. I'm King Pong."

"And tomorrow's the Teen Fiancé marathon on TV." Bree objected. "I didn't think it was possible, but I actually found a group of people whose lives are more pathetic than mine."

"Yeah, I was going to have a spa day!" Adam argued. "According to Bree's girly magazines…I have cankles."

"And I was going to get a head start on my homework!" Chase exclaimed. Everyone, even I, looked at him. "I mean play sports and go to the movies with Calla."

"Am I at least getting paid for overtime?" I demanded, upset. My weekend hours didn't start until nine and I wasn't too eager to show up two hours early.

"Nope." Mr. Davenport replied, much to my annoyance.

"But that's not fair! I was going to sleep in!" I complained.

"Look, unlike your stuff, my stuff is important." We all looked at Mr. Davenport, offended.

"What makes your stuff more important than ours?" Bree questioned.

"Uh, because my stuff can make a billion dollars." He pointed out. Darn. He had us there. "So, when you guys are the boss, you can make the rules, but until then, I AM THE KING OF DAVENPORTIA AND YOU WILL ALL DO MY BIDDING! HAHAHAHA!" The lab doors took that moment to shut on him. He backed out of them after being hit a couple of times and they shut in front of him.

"Man this stinks." Leo muttered. I looked at him.

"Why are you complaining? You don't have to do anything." I reminded him.

"Why do we always have to do what he wants us to do?" Bree complained.

Adam stared at her. "Weren't you listening? The man in king!"

Leo's face lit up. "Hey, maybe you guys should do what those hotel workers downtown did. You know, strike."

Adam punched Chase in the arm. "Ow!" My boyfriend complained. "What was that for?"

"Leo said strike." He replied. I rolled my eyes and turned to Leo.

"That's not a bad idea." I told him, thinking about it. I could get a pay raise, I wouldn't have to be at work at six am, and maybe it would bring his ego down a little.

"Strike?" Bree repeated, confused. Adam hit Chase again.

"OW!" He shouted.

"What's a strike?" Bree asked Leo. Adam went to punch Chase again, but the shorter boy caught him hand when he went to swing.

"Stop it!" He hissed. Adam pulled his hand back, looking vaguely annoyed that Chase stopped him.

"A strike is when employees refuse to work until they get better working conditions. Like a pay raise, or more days off…or in your case, a day off."

Everyone started nodding, liking the idea. "Hey, that's a great idea." Chase grinned. "I say we all strike."

None of us could help it. Really, we couldn't. When he said those words, we all smacked him in the arms. "Oh come on!"

"Sorry babe. You set yourself up for that one." I told him, grabbing his hand. "So, what's this about taking me to the movies?"

Leo's POV

"That's a nice sign Adam." Calla told the boy as he handed out his handmade strike signs. I had to stop myself from laughing; only Adam could get that much marker on him in a span of three minutes.

Anyway, we each had our signs ready just as Big D skipped into the lab.

"Greetings people of Davenportia. It is I, King Donald, here to train thee." He did a little bow, not noticing our angry expressions.

"Unfair! On strike!" We chanted, walking around in a circle. "Unfair! On strike!"

"What's all this?" Big D questioned.

"We are on strike." Chase informed him, holding up his sign that read: On Strike.

"Why would you guys strike?" Big D questioned. "You have the most awesome lives ever. Except maybe for mine."

"Ha-ha-ha." Bree fake laughed. "We're serious. Adam even made us signs."

Adam stood up then, revealing all the marker stains on his face. "Probably should have used a pencil." He admitted.

Big D nodded. "Okay guys, quit being ridiculous."

"There's nothing ridiculous about it." I told him. I looked at Adam, Bree, Chase, and Calla. "They're on strike and I'm their captain. We're sticking it to the man!"

"Yeah!" Adam agreed. "I don't know exactly what it is, but we're sticking it to you…And it's going to be really hard to get off."

Everyone else walked over to us, nodding in agreement. Big D looked at me. "Calla, why are you striking? You just have to show up and fill out forms."

"You told me to be here at seven! There's no way I was going to get up that early without being paid for my work!" She snapped.

Big D checked his watch. "It is seven. And I'm not paying you to strike." He informed her.

"Yes, but this is way more fun that filling out forms, and since I'm not getting paid, I might as well do something that amused me.." She shrugged.

"Leo, why are you striking? You don't even have to train."

"This isn't about training. It's about unity, and equality and getting what we want-ity." Yeah, sure. Want-ity was definitely a word. Big D still looked confused.

"We're striking because we want a day off. We need down time just to have fun." Chase told him. "As long as it doesn't affect our school work."

Everyone glared at him. "That's right." I said, turning back to Big D. "We are united in this cause. We will get what we want because super humans are humans too!"

We started chanting and pushing him out of the lab. "SUPER HUMANS ARE HUMANS TOO! SUPER HUMANS ARE HUMANS TOO!" She cried. "SUPER HUMANS ARE HUMANS TOO!"

We pushed him right into the elevator. "I see. You guys want to play hardball." Big D said.

"Yes we do." Adam agreed. "And after that we're going to go right back to striking."

"Bye-bye!" Calla waved and hit the elevator button. The doors shut and we listened as the elevator flew up to the main floor.

"Now what?" Bree asked. Calla's pulled out her phone.

"Now I text Jay and we can have that ping pong tournament." Calla replied, sending her brother a quick message.

"I'm watching the Teen Fiancé marathon on the IPad!" Bree called, grabbing the device and plunking down in one of the chairs. Calla and Chase were started setting up the virtual ping pong table and Adam went off to find some of Bree's spa stuff.

Calla's POV

"Sorry Chase, but there's no way you're going to beat me." I smirked at my boyfriend as he held up the virtual ping pong ball. He rolled his eyes at served the ball. I smacked it hard, back towards him. "BAM!"

"POW!" He exclaimed, returning it.

"Take that!" I shouted, hitting the ball back.

"Never!" He replied, sending it my way.

"Eat it!" I demanded and hit the ball, getting a little annoyed.

"Not going to hit me!" He retorted. Jaden and Leo, who were watching, chuckled at our little exchange.

"Think fast!" I hit the ball as hard as I possibly could.

"Think faster!" He replied, hitting the ball back even harder. It flew right past my head. The holoscreen flew up from the virtual ping pong table, announcing that Chase was the winner. "Boom!" He grinned, doing that weird gun thing that Mr. Davenport always did.

I sighed and switched spots with Leo so he could play. "Could you guys keep it down? I'm watching Teen Fiancé!" Bree exclaimed in annoyance. Jaden looked at her.

"Oh, I haven't seen this week's episode. What's happening?" He asked, sliding his chair over to her. We all stared at him. "It's a good show!" He defended himself.

"Jimmy is about to pop the question at the Taco Shack!" Bree told my brother. "He hid her ring in a churro!"

"Let me see!" Jaden looked at the screen over her shoulder, his hand reaching into her bowl of popcorn.

"My brother is WAY too in touch with his feminine side." I muttered. Chase heard me and laughed just as Adam walked in.

"Who wants burritos?" He called as he entered the lab. He was wearing a blue bathrobe and his face was covered in a white, creamy substance that I assumed was facial cream. He was carrying a burrito on a plate in his left hand. He looked down at it and used his heat vision to melt the cheese on top of it. He grinned. "Fresh out of the eyeball."

We all rolled his eyes at his joke as he sat down in one of the chairs. Bree's foot massager was at the bottom of the chair and he put his feet in with a sigh of relief. "Ah, that's the stuff."

And then suddenly, everything stopped. The lights shut off, the ping pong table disappeared, and the IPad's screen went black. Everything just shut down, as if someone had pulled the plug. "Hey!" We all called in surprise.

"What gives?" Chase demanded.

"My cankles!" Adam cried. Mr. Davenport chose that moment to walk in. He was greeted by six very annoyed faces. He didn't seem to notice, however.

"And darkness falls across the land of Davenportia! Ha hahaha ha!"

"Turn our stuff back on!" Bree demanded. Mr. Davenport crossed his arms.

"I think you mean turn my stuff back on because you can't strike against me without striking against Davenport Industries and that means you can't use Davenport Industries equipment! HA! Boom!" He did that gun thing, smirking at us arrogantly. Unfortunately for us though, he was right.

"So, I'll take that, and that, and this," he started taking things out of our hands, including the ping pong ball paddles, the IPad, and the popcorn bowl "and this and that." He grabbed the last object on his list, which was a small container of cream sitting next to Adam.

"Hey! That's my face cream!" Adam objected. Mr. Davenport looked at him.

"Adam, this is sour cream." He informed him. Adam nodded.

"Yeah, and when it's done on my face, I'm going to use it on my burrito." He replied, wiping some of the cream off his face with the snack. He went to take a bite of it, but Mr. Davenport pulled it out of his hands.

"And that is also mine." He declared, starting to walk away.

"Hey!" Adam exclaimed, getting to his feet.

"All you guys have to do is end the strike and you can have the stuff back." Mr. Davenport informed us. Adam looked back at us, his eyes pleading.

"That sounds like a win-win. We should go for it!" He begged. Leo stepped in before Adam could make the decision for the group.

"No!" He exclaimed, he looked at us. "What about your day off? What about your overtime pay? Come on! Stay defiant! Stand up to the man!"

Adam looked at the younger boy, horrified. "But that man has my burrito!" He cried. Mr. Davenport grinned.

"And the man is having it for lunch." He replied, taking a large bite out of it. We all looked at him, disgusted. That thing had been wiped across Adam's face! "Now if you don't mind, I'll be up in my well-lit mansion, playing with all my toys that still work."

He laughed and headed to the elevator. I looked at the other's annoyed faces and came up with a plan. I turned to my big brother.

"Jaden, go home and get us something to do. My laptop, a pack of cards, board games. Everything we have in case of a power outage. And tell Mom we're spending the night." I ordered. If he was seriously going to take away their electricity, there was no way I was going to abandon them.

Leo's POV

"I'm cold." I complained for what must have been the seventeenth time. The temperature in the lab had gone below zero last night, leaving all of us freezing. In an effort to conserve heat, we had all climbed into the capsules together. Adam, Chase and I were in one, while Calla, Bree and Jaden were in the other. There was hardly any room to move.

"It's freezing down here." Bree agreed. I glared at her. Why was she complaining? She was the only one down here wearing a sweater! Although judging by how cold Jaden looked, I think that the football player was starting to regret giving it to her.

"I can't feel my toes." Adam said, teeth chattering. Chase glared at him.

"Because those are mine, weirdo!" He snapped. Apparently I wasn't the only one who got really irritable when I was cold. Then, Big D ran in wearing a big winter jacket. I briefly wondered why he owned one; we lived in California for heaven's sake!

Big D hit a button on the main consol and the lights flickered on. Immediately, I felt the temperature begin to rise. "Guys!" Big D cried, throwing off his hood. "NASA called!"

"They want their nerd back?" Bree asked, causing us all to laugh. Big D ignored her.

"Look, they moved the gravity belt presentation up to tomorrow, so we have to put all this ridiculousness behind us and get back to work! Strike's over!" He shouted. We exchanged looks at stepped out of the capsules.

"Au contraire, Big D. You obviously don't know how a strike works." I grinned. "It's not over because you say it's over."

Big D rolled his eyes. "Guys, the biggest contract of my life is on the line here."

"Oh, we'd love to help you, Mr. Davenport." Chase told him, grinning. "But since you didn't care about our needs, why should we care about yours?"

"Because I, and listen closely now," he drew us all close "SAID SO!"

We all jumped back, a little startled. "I'm going to go get the gravity belt." Big D told us. "And when I come back, the strike's over."

He walked out with his head held high. Adam looked at us, grinning. "Did we win?" He asked excitedly. Bree ignored him and glared at me.

"Great plan Leo! We lost!" She exclaimed. Calla shook my head.

"That's just what he wants you to think." She told her. "We've got all the leverage."

"Calla's right." Chase agreed. "He can't do the presentation without us."

"Exactly." I smiled. "We can use that to get what you guys want and more! Trust me guys; I smell a victory."

Adam shook his head. "No, those are my feet." He replied. "I used rose petals in my cackle bath."

We all looked at him. "So, what should we put on our demand list?" Calla asked. We started going through a list of things we wanted. Adam, Bree, Chase and Calla had wanted boring things like more time off, overtime pay, and a fifteen percent discount at Davenport Industries, so I added some more entertaining things.

"Are you sure about those?" Calla asked, eyeing my list. I nodded.

"Oh yeah. Totally." I replied. "I'm going to go get us our victory."

"I'll help." Jaden offered, following me as I walked towards the elevator. We headed upstairs and walked onto the main floor. We found Big D holding his gravity belt and talking to it. "You're a pretty belt. How I love you." He was saying. Jaden and I both stood there, watching, for several moments before he noticed us.

"Do you need a minute?" I asked, trying to hide my smirk.

"I wasn't talking to it." He lied. Jaden rolled his eyes.

"Sure you weren't." He agreed before walking over to the desk. "We're here to negotiate."

"Guys, there is nothing to negotiate." He replied, setting the belt down. "The strike's over."

"Slow your roll, Big Money." I smiled. "You need them for your demonstration, so we have some new demands." I sat down in his chair and put my feet up on the table. He looked at me.

"Get up." He ordered.

"Right." I agreed, doing as I was told.

Jaden looked at my list. "First, we want better snacks. Seriously, how many people even buy Davenbars? Second, we want a 401k. We don't know what it is, but we know we want it."

Big D gave him a confused look. "Third, matching hats." I continued for him.

"Guys." He stopped me. "Those are some…interesting demands."

I grinned. "Well, I would be lying if I said I didn't have some input." I admitted.

"Most of them are his." Jaden added. "But the snack thing was my idea."

"But you two have been working so hard on what they want." Big D continued. "Why don't we talk about what you want?"

"Well, this isn't about what we want." I objected, but the curiosity was a little too much to bear. "But we're listening."

Calla's POV

"Okay, this is taking way too long." I said, pacing around the lab. Bree nodded from where she was sitting.

"Leo should have been back by now." She agreed. "His lungs are way too tiny to be talking this long."

"The negotiations must be gruelling." Chase decided. Adam sighed.

"I knew I shouldn't have demanded that bucket of sour cream!" He exclaimed.

"Yes Adam. I'm sure that's the sticky point." Chase agreed sarcastically.

He didn't need to though, because the lab doors opened at that point. Mr. Davenport walked through, holding the gravity belt.

"Finally." Bree smirked. "Is the man with the fancy belt ready to buckle?"

Mr. Davenport smiled, much to our surprise. "I'm ready to begin training for the presentation." He replied.

"You can't do that without one of us." Chase reminded him.

"Actually, I can." He grinned. "Because you have been replaced."

The lab doors opened again, revealing Jaden and Leo, the latter wearing a very interesting outfit. It was a skin tight, silver body suit with the Davenport Industries logo on the front. Thankfully, Jaden was still wearing his T-shirt and jeans.

"Boom." Leo grinned. Jaden smirked.

"Boom." He said.

"Boom." Mr. Davenport finished.

"Wait, you guys are replacing us?" Bree demanded, staring at the two boys. "You were supposed to negotiate for us!"

"To be fair, your demands were ridiculous." Leo replied, adjusting the sleeve of his suit.

"They were your demands!" Bree cried. "When did they become ridiculous?"

"When I got what I wanted. Boom!" Leo replied.

"So, Leo's testing it?" Chase asked. "What's Jaden doing?"

"He's going to be writing down the formulas, checking the numbers, filling out the order forms, ect." Mr. Davenport replied. I glared at my brother.

"That's my job! You stole my job!" I shouted. He just shrugged.

"Yeah…he offered me a twenty dollar bill and since I'm sorta broke, I took it." He ruffled my hair playfully. "If it makes you feel better, baby sis, I'll but you a milkshake from Dairy Queen."

"Give me back my job!" I would have lunged at Jaden and likely attempted murder if had Chase hadn't stopped me.

Xxx

"This is unbelievable! We had Mr. Davenport right where we wanted him and Leo just handed him all the power!" Bree muttered. We were in the living room, having been kicked out of the lab so that Mr. Davenport, Jaden and Leo could 'get to work'.

"I know!" Adam agreed. "Now we're never going to get matching hats!"

"When I get my hands on my brother…" I muttered under my breath. This was so stupid! Jaden may not be the dumbest person in the building, but he was terrible at science and math. And you needed to know physics and numbers to do the majority of my job.

"If Leo succeeds as a test pilot and Jaden does well as an assistant, Davenport gets what he wants and we lose." Bree continued. "I need my TV! I am a highly irrational teenage girl and it is the only thing keeping me from unleashing all of this," she started making weird arm gestures, "on you!"

"Guys, I think I've figured out Mr. Davenport's game." Chase had a smile on his face, so I figured that he had a plan. "He's not going to use Leo to present the gravity belt, nor is Jaden his new assistant. He's bluffing."

"You're right." Bree grinned. "Davenport needs us because we're trained, fit, and conditioned to wear it and Leo's…Leo."

"And there's no way he's done enough to have Jaden do math." I agreed.

"Mr. Davenport knew that Leo was our leader." Chase said. "He thought if he cut off the head of the beast, the beast would die."

"Wait, there's a beast and we're going to die?" Adam questioned. "I did not train for that."

"No one's going to die, Adam." I assured him. I looked at my boyfriend. "But what about Jaden? He came over to hang out, not to strike."

"I think that was just to annoy you." He replied. I crossed my arms.

"Well, it worked." I muttered.

"I say we call Mr. Davenport's bluff and at the same time, get revenge on Jaden and Leo." Chase suggested. "We can kill two birds with one stone!"

"Wait, are we killing birds or beasts?" Adam asked, frowning. "I am so confused."

Leo's POV

Big D was busy working on the gravity belt thing, and Jaden was going through Calla's computer for blackmail, so I picked up some of the weights from the weight rack and decided that I should work out before piloting the belt.

After a few minutes of attempting to lift the heavy weights, I looked at Big D. "Do you have anything lighter?" I asked. He looked at me in exasperation.

"Leo, those are one pound!" He told me. Just then, the lab doors opened and my mom walked in, carrying some folders.

"Hey guys…Leo! What are you doing with my weights?" she demanded. "You're going to throw your back out."

I grinned proudly at her. "Hey mom, check me out! I'm going to be Big D's test pilot for the NASA presentation."

She looked absolutely horrified and a lot less impressed than I thought she would. "What?"

"That's right." I grinned. "Little man, top gun!"

She glared at Big D. "Oh, no. He is not testing one of your half-baked disaster gadgets."

"Hey, my gadgets have a…reasonable safety record." Big D retorted. He drew my mom into the corner to talk while I continued to work with the weights. She walked out a minute later, a look of annoyance on her face.

He didn't seem to notice though. He walked over and pressed a button on the gravity belt. It rose into the air. "Presto!" He exclaimed. It was actually really impressive. Even Jaden turned away from Calla's computer to look at the device.

It was cool for exactly three seconds. Then Big D pulled it into his arms and started talking to it as if it was his precious. Seriously, a mental image of Gollum from Lord of the Rings popped into my mind when I saw him holding it.

Big D then noticed me and Jaden staring. "Still not talking to it." He lied again. I continued to stare at him, while Jaden rolled his eyes and turned back to the computer.

The lab doors opened right then, and Adam, Bree, Chase and Calla all walked in. Big D smiled when he saw them. "Oh, hey guys." He greeted in a pleasant tone. "Have you come here to grovel? Proceed."

They all smirked in amusement. I frowned when I saw the looks on their faces. Was it just me, or did it seem like they all had some sort of devious plan? I shrugged it off; I was probably being paranoid because I knew they were annoyed with me for taking their jobs.

"Actually, we came to check on your new test pilot and assistant." Bree replied. "If you really want to replace us with them, we should really make sure they're up to it."

"Oh, they're up to it." Big D replied just as I dropped one of the weights. They all looked at me.

"Hand cramp." I told them, rubbing my hand. Suddenly, several loud beeps came from Calla's computer. She ran over.

"No! Cancel, cancel!" She cried, tapping desperately on the keys. She glared at her brother. "Why would you try to delete all the work I've done in the past six weeks?"

"I meant to click copy, not delete." He replied. She looked at him suspiciously.

"Were you going to hand in any of my inventions as a science project?" She questioned. He hesitated before answering.

"…no…" He mumbled.

"Hey Mr. Davenport?" Adam looked at Big D. "If you're replacing us with Leo, shouldn't he be doing the same training we did?" He asked.

"No, I don't think that's necessary." Big D replied. Chase smiled.

"Oh, but we do." He said. "I mean, unless you've really been bluffing this entire time and have no intention of using Leo as your test pilot?"

I looked at Big D, waiting for him to tell Chase how wrong he was. Of course he was going to use me in his presentation!

"Alright, fine." Big D agreed. "Why don't we start with some push ups?" He looked at me, then turned back to Chase. "Or a push up."

"No. Leo has to train exactly as we did." Chase said to him. "Throw him in the deep end."

I grinned. "Yeah Big D! Throw me in the deep end!" Then a thought occurred to me. "Just give me a second to get my floaties."

Calla's POV

"Oh Jaden!" I called, walking into the lab. My brother was watching the other's set up Leo's 'training'. He looked up and frowned at the large box I carried in my arms.

"Hey Cal, what's that?" He asked. I dumped the box onto his lap.

"Well, since your Mr. Davenport's new assistant, you should probably get to work. You're going to need to fill out all these forms tonight."

He opened the box and gaped at the stacks of paper. "There must be five hundred sheets in here!" He objected. I smiled sweetly at him.

"Six hundred actually." I replied. The sheets I gave him were copies of the ones I filled out earlier that day. That way, if he messed it all up, I wouldn't have to waste my time cleaning up his mess. "Have fun."

I skipped over to where Chase was sitting was sitting in Leo's desk chair. I sat down on his lap as Mr. Davenport walked in carrying a heavy medicine ball.

"I give Jay half an hour until he cracks and gives me my job back." I whispered to Chase. He smirked.

"You give him way too much credit. I give him fifteen minutes." He replied. I smirked.

"Loser buys dinner?" I suggested.

"You're on." Chase replied. We looked back at Leo's training. Mr. Davenport threw Leo the medicine ball and he caught with only a little difficulty. Mr. Davenport grinned.

"Good work. That was heavy." He clapped. Leo grinned. So did Adam.

"That's not heavy." The older boy corrected. He walked into the storage room and came back carrying a large container above his head. Leo dropped the medicine ball, staring at it.

Adam threw the container at Leo, who barely managed to catch it. Still, the weight of the container knocked him flat on his back. "That's heavy!" Adam laughed.

"I'm okay!" Leo assured us. We then moved onto stage two of Leo's training. All he had to do was stack several multicolour bricks on top of each other in a tower in under a minute.

"Okay Leo, ten more seconds." Mr. Davenport announced as Leo cautiously went to put the last two bricks on. "Way to focus under pressure."

Meanwhile, we had wheeled out the tennis ball shooter. "That is not pressure." Chase chuckled. Leo looked our way, eyes widening when he saw the machine. Chase got the honours of pressing the on button and yellow tennis balls started flying at Leo, pelting him, Mr. Davenport and the tower. The balls hit Leo in the head several times, causing him to duck behind the counter, and they managed to destroy the tower. "That's pressure."

"I'm okay!" Leo called from his spot behind the counter. Then it was time for the third challenge. Leo had these special, laser-resistant gauntlets on. A dartle laser sphere hovered above our heads, its targeting system focused on Leo.

It started shooting lasers at Leo, really, really slowly. He was able to deflect each one with ease. "This is awesome!" He exclaimed. Bree smirked.

"That's because it's in beginner mode." She told him. "Why don't you try out combat mode?"

Leo's smile fell from his face. The lasers started flying at him, ten times faster than before. Somehow, by some miracle, he managed to deflect them all. "Yes!" He grinned when the stopped. "Wasting my life playing video games finally payed off."

Then another laser shot out and hit him in the stomach. He fell onto his back. "I'm okay!" He called as we all grinned.

Suddenly, someone tapped on my shoulder. I looked up and grinned at Jaden. "You're done already?" I asked. He glared at me.

"Paperwork is God's way of punishing bad people." He muttered. I laughed.

"And why would you be punished?" I asked.

"I took your job. Sorry." He muttered. "You can have it back. I'm going home."

"Hey, hey!" I stopped him. I held out my hand. "I want the twenty bucks you sold us out for."

He sighed, shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled twenty dollar bill. "Bye guys!" He called over his shoulder as he left.

"Bye Jaden!" Bree called after him.

"Calla?" I looked down at Chase. He was smirking. He pointed at his watch. "He lasted seventeen minutes."

"A deal's a deal." I sighed. "So, are we going to the pizza palace or the that new sushi place?"

"I've always wanted to try sushi." Chase replied. "How about tomorrow night, after Mr. Davenport gives in and gives us the day off?"

"It's a date." I replied, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

Leo's POV

I followed Big D into the living room about ten minutes before the NASA representative was supposed to show up. Adam, Bree, Chase and Calla were waiting for us.

"Congratulations Leo, you have completed every training test necessary for the gravity belt presentation." Big D announced loudly. Everyone else looked at him.

"How many did he pass?" Chase asked.

"He completed them!" Big D snapped. They all stood up, frustration written all over their faces.

"Just give it up!" Bree exclaimed. "We all know you're not letting Leo go up in that thing."

By now, even I had figured out that the second one side gave in my test pilot days were over. But Big D was still trying to keep up the charade. "Oh, yes I will, missy."

He looked at the door. "The NASA rep will be here any second now and Leo is good to go." He looked at them pleadingly. "Unless you guys want to end this right now and help me with the presentation?"

"Not unless you're ready to give us more time off." Chase replied. "And overtime pay for Calla."

"Not a chance!" Big D argued. Chase looked seriously annoyed by this point.

"Fine! Then let's belt you up, Leo!" He exclaimed. I grinned, knowing that this would be the only chance I was ever going to get to wear the belt.

"Don't mind if I do!" I grinned as the guys helped me put on the gravity belt.

"That…that's fine. I am one hundred percent comfortable with this." Big D did not look at all comfortable with this. Then the doorbell rang and he completely panicked. "Ah! NASA's here! Okay, take it off, take it off, take it off!" He begged. "Help me with the presentation and I will give you anything you want!"

Adam wasted no time making demands. "I want a purple pony named Blue!" He exclaimed instantaneously. We all looked at him, questioning his sanity. "What? You said anything."

"We want you to be fair." Bree walked over to Big D, Chase and Calla following her. "We work hard and deserve time off. Just think about that next time before you automatically say no."

"Yeah. You need to know when to be our boss and when to be our dad." Chase told him. "And our dad would know when we need a day off."

Big D nodded. "The dad card, well played." Chase smirked.

"And I'm pretty sure it's illegal not to pay me for my work, even if it's overtime." Calla added. Big D rolled his eyes. The doorbell rang again.

"Come on guys, please!" He begged.

"Do we get a day of, every week, to do whatever we want?" "And my overtime pay?" Calla and Chase demanded at the same time. Adam put his hand on Big D's shoulder.

"I'll let you ride Blue." He offered. The others shrugged as if it was part of their bargain. The doorbell rang again. Wow, that NASA rep must be getting really impatient.

"Fine!" Big D agreed. "I hear you. More dad, less boss, listening, overtime, are we good?"

"Deal!" They all agreed.

"Yes." Adam grinned. "Wait, what just happened?"

Big D turned to me. "Leo, give the belt to Adam."

The doorbell rang again and my mom walked into the room. She gave us a look.

"Isn't anybody going to answer the door?" She questioned, reaching for the door handle.

"No!" Big D cried, but it was too late. She had opened the door. Big D quickly regained his composure as the NASA rep, an older and mostly bald man, walked in. We still hadn't managed to get the belt off. "Jerry, it's good to see you." Big D shook the man's hand.

He looked back at us. "Leo, give the belt to Adam!" Big D hissed. I tried to undo it, but the belt's buckle lit up bright red. That didn't seem good.

"What was that?" I asked. Adam grinned.

"The on switch." he replied.

"What?" Big D demanded, spinning around just in time to see me go airborne. I flew right up into the air, hovering near the kitchen lights.

"Leo, grab onto something!" Bree exclaimed. I started to descend, so I grabbed onto the nearest chair and held on for dear life. That didn't help however, because I flew back into the air a second later.

"Stop it!" I shouted at the belt, hoping that maybe it was voice controlled. Apparently, it wasn't. I bounced up and down the room several times before hovering over the kitchen table.

"No!" I cried, losing my grip on the chair that I had in my arms. It fell and crashed into the table, shattering it into a million tiny pieces. "Why do we keep getting glass dining tables?" I demanded.

Meanwhile, Big D was still trying to recover the presentation. I grabbed onto the nearest support beams as I flew by it, forcing my feet onto the ground. After a minute, I felt the gravity return.

"I'm good!" I assured the others, letting go. That was a big mistake, because then I started flying into everything. Walls, ceilings, I even broke one of the support beams when I hit it. I doubted that my mom would be too happy about that.

"It works a lot better on a normal sized person." Chase told the representative. Suddenly, the light on the belt grew even brighter and I knew that meant bad things.

I managed to get out a quick "uh-oh" before soaring through the ceiling. I only stopped hovering when I was about twenty feet above my house.

"Can you get my football while you're up there?" I heard Adam call before I fell quickly, stopping in mid air next to my porch.

"How did I get outside?" I demanded, flying past the window. I flew back into the air, luckily not as high. I started fumbling with the belt, trying to find the off switch. After a couple of tries, I found it.

"There's the off switch." I said, flipping the switch. I fell through the giant hole in my roof and landed in my living room. I pushed myself to my feet, grinning in relief because I was alive. "I'm okay!" I announced.

Everyone ran and hugged me. Adam grabbed my by my shoulders, looking at me. "Where's my football?" He demanded. I sighed.

"Still on the roof." I told him. He let go of me, a disappointed look on his face.

"And that concludes our presentation!" Big D announced, clearly trying to save this train wreck. Jerry patted his shoulder, then walked out. Big D ran after him. "Come on! Wouldn't you want to be able to do that on another planet? You guys buy all kinds of junk that don't work!"

He came back a minute later, disappointed. "Well, that was fun." Calla commented. She held up a camera. I hadn't noticed it before. "And I caught it all on camera. What should we name it when we post it on Youtube?"

Calla's POV

"I can't believe how many hits this is getting!" I laughed along with Adam, Bree, and Chase. We were all watching Leo's epic fail on the web. It had only been five hours, but it had already passed ten thousand views.

"Hey guys." A nervous voice got our attentions. I paused the video and we all turned to look at Leo. The smiles fell from our faces as we glared at the boy. He sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry. I wanted to be like you guys so much that I lost track of what's most important. Our friendship."

Bree smiled softly. "Aww. That's so sweet, it makes me want to–blahh!" She fake vomited. He looked at her, and after a moment she smirked. "Yeah, I guess we can forgive you."

The rest of us shrugged. "Yeah, me too." "It's all good." "We're cool."

We hugged him for a moment, then let go. Chase looked at Leo's uniform. "So, are you ever planning on taking that outfit off?" He asked.

"Well, no. It's the closest I'm ever going to get to a mission suit." Leo replied. I smirked at that, mission suit designs floating around my head. Chase smirked at Leo's comment as well, but for a different reason.

"You can't get it off, can you?" He guessed. Leo shook his head.

"It's adhered to me in a way I'm no longer comfortable with." The boy admitted.


	10. Dude, Where's My Lab?

Calla's POV

"Test number eighty-seven complete." I checked yet another thing off the list Mr. Davenport had been given. Honestly, we were all bored out of our minds. The tests were boring, to watch and to perform, and no one really wanted to be stuck inside. School had FINALLY let out for the summer, but Mr. Davenport just took this as an opportunity to do a lot of work.

"Okay guys," Said inventor continued, completely oblivious to our boredom. "Now we'll check your bionic reflexes. First, the left arm."

Everyone's left arms swung out. Both Adam, who was standing between his siblings, and Bree were smacked in the face.

"Now the right arm." Mr. Davenport told them. Their right arms swung out, hitting both Adam and Chase in the face.

"I hate this game!" Adam complained. I smirked.

"Adam, you can sit this one out." I told him, smirking at Mr. Davenport. He caught on immediately.

"Yeah, I'll just do Bree and Chase." He agreed. Adam smiled and Mr. Davenport pressed a button. Chase's left arm and Bree's right arm flew back, both of them hitting Adam's face. Adam groaned and rubbed his nose as his siblings laughed. Suddenly, my phone vibrated as I received a text message.

From: Jaden

How's it going on your end?

Oh, crap. I almost forgot about the plan. "Leo." I called softly. He looked at me and I smiled, motioning at Mr. Davenport with my eyes. He understood perfectly.

"Big D!" he complained. "It's summer vacation! Let's hit the beach!"

"Yeah!" I agreed. "Slap on some shorts and show off those pasty little walking sticks!"

Leo, Jaden, and I had been planning a trip to the beach for a while now. Jaden was at our house, trying to convince our mom to bring us, and I was supposed to help Leo convince Mr. Davenport.

"Not now guys." Mr. Davenport shot us down. "We're doing some routine bionic chip maintenance. Besides, this is fun, right guys?"

Judging by the looks on their faces, it was quite the opposite. "Good times." "A blast." The boys replied, sarcasm dripping from their tones. Bree didn't even bother with the sarcasm.

"Are we done here?" she questioned, pulling off the bionic neck brace. "I want to go be normal for a while!"

She tossed the neck brace at the computer, causing sparks to burst from it. Tasha, who had come down with a tray of snacks, dropped what she was holding. The bowls of food hit the ground with a clatter, their contents flying everywhere.

"Can't we go five minutes without something sparking, exploding, or oozing around here?" Tasha demanded. She looked at Mr. Davenport. "Ever since summer vacation started, it has been like one long science experiment."

"I'm sorry honey." Mr. Davenport was quick to calm her down. "You know…maybe Calla and Leo are right. Maybe we need to take a break and go to the beach."

"Yes!" "Sweet!" "Finally!" We cheered.

"We'll take a whole weekend as a normal family. No gadgets, no phones. We'll do it totally tech free." While he spoke, we started to clean up the mess.

"That is exactly what I need." Tasha agreed, smiling at her husband. "You would really do that for me?"

"Of course. You are way more important to me than…the amazing innovations born of my genius." He told her, smirking towards the end. She kissed him, then left to go upstairs.

I pulled out my phone and started texting my brother.

To: Jaden

Mr. D said yes. What about Mom?

His reply was fairly quick.

From: Jaden

Catch a ride with them. We'll meet you at the beach in half an hour.

"Is Jaden coming?" Bree asked, noticing that my phone was in my hands. I nodded.

"Yep. They're going to meet us there." I replied. Leo looked at Mr. Davenport.

"It's really nice of you to blow off work for my mom." He commented, picking up the tray from the ground and setting it on the table.

"Well Leo, now and then everybody needs a little peace and…" Just then, a massive alarm started to go off. "QUIET!"

I ran over to the computer, turning on the monitor. It didn't take us long to discover the problem.

"It's the early warning satellite system." Chase exclaimed. I tapped a couple of buttons, letting everyone see the warning on the monitor.

"It's detecting a massive solar flare." I announced. Mr. Davenport checked my computer.

"When that thing hits the atmosphere, it could cause massive power failures and a total black out of satellite communications." He realized.

"Okay, I'm going to go tell my mom we're not going to the beach then." Leo started to run upstairs, but Mr. Davenport stopped him.

"No, no, no, no. Don't tell your mom a thing about this." He instructed. Chase looked at him like he was crazy.

"Oh, right. Let's just ignore the biggest solar flare in history to keep the little lady happy." He said sarcastically.

"Don't worry about the solar flare. I'll handle it." Mr. Davenport assured all of us. "Just pack your stuff in the RV and get ready to get your beach on!"

We stopped and stared at him. "I know nobody says that. I know that." He defended himself.

Suddenly, Adam ran ahead of us and started passing out safety goggles. I took mine with an amused smile. It was sweet that he was trying to protect us from the solar flare, even if these wouldn't exactly work.

"Adam, safety goggles aren't going to protect our eyes from the solar flare." Chase, on the other hand, chose to shoot down his idea.

Adam wasn't bothered. "No, but it will protect us from the glare when pasty legs Davenport puts on his shorts."

We all chuckled, putting on the safety goggles and heading into the back room.

"Hey Calla, the pink one or the multicolour one?" Bree asked me, holding up two shirts. I pointed to the latter while the boys quickly packed their things.

"Hey, what about you?" Chase asked me. "You can't go to the beach in that."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "What? You don't like my outfit?" I asked, pretending to be hurt. This happened to be my favourite sweater.

"No, of course not. You look gorgeous in it." Chase assured me. I smirked. "But it's not exactly beach material."

"Jaden's brining my stuff." I replied, grabbing my phone. I quickly texted him, telling him to bring the outfit I wanted – my fave jean shorts and a red tang top – along with some sunscreen and sandals.

We headed outside, all chatting about something different. Bree was telling me about all the cute guys that she was hoping to meet at the beach, and the boys were comparing ideas for what to do. Mr. Davenport and Tasha were waiting for us, the RV already in the parking lot. We climbed into the back and we drove off.

"So, what do you want to do when we get there?" Chase asked, his arm around my shoulder. I smiled.

"Let's go surfing." I suggested, eyes a lit. I had taken surfing lessons years ago along with Jaden, Faith, her brother Trevor, and a friend of ours. I always went back on the water each summer. I was far from being an expert, but it was awesome.

"I want to check out the boardwalk." Chase told me, smiling. "I hear there are some pretty cool performers there on weekends."

"Yeah, there's a band every Friday and Saturday night in the summer." I remembered. "But I don't know who'd be playing tonight."

"I guess we'll find out, won't we?" he smiled and I smiled back, almost forgetting about the solar flare.

Chase's POV

Calla and I talked for a while more. Mostly random stuff – the new space exhibit at the science museum, new invention ideas, different bands we hoped would play at the boardwalk tonight. The others entertained themselves by playing cards.

Finally, we arrived. "We're here!" Bree called, looking out the window at the white sand and blue waves. I looked out the window next to her. Aside from the beach, there was the large boardwalk. I could see rides, games and booths as well. All in all, it looked like today was going to be wicked.

"Alright Tasha," Mr. Davenport led Tasha into the back of the RV. "Your totally tech-free weekend starts now."

Tasha smiled. "Great. I'm going to go claim our spot." She told us. "If we wait too long, we're going to end up sitting next to talkers. I hate friendly people."

"What a delightful thing to say." Calla muttered sarcastically. I chuckled.

"You go on ahead. I'll be right there." Mr. Davenport told Tasha as she left. We started to follow her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Where do you guys think you're going? Did you forget about the solar flare?"

We frowned at him in confusion. "We do you expect us to do?" I asked. "Bionics can't stop a solar flare."

He just smiled. "No," he agreed "but I have something that can."

He reached for a painting on the wall and swung it to one side like a door. Behind it was a hand scanner. It quickly scanned Mr. Davenport's hand. "Identity Authorized."

The decorative painting behind the couch swung down, revealing a super computer and the table opened up to reveal a consol. The large, cylinder shaped column spun around and opened to show us a miniature rocket.

We all stared in shock, looking at all the technology. "Welcome to the Davenport Industries Mobile Action Lab." He told us.

"Very impressive, Big D." Leo told him sincerely. "You're the master of the ta-da moment!"

Mr. Davenport grinned. "Ta-da!" He sang before walking over to the consol. "I call her the ugly lady, because it's what's on the inside that really counts."

We all nodded our agreement. "You guys will launch the rocket, just like in your training simulations." He continued. "It will block the solar flare by releasing a cloud of heavy gas into the atmosphere."

"Cool." "Sweet!" "Awesome!" "Wicked!" "You're going down, sun!"

We all looked at Adam for a moment, then decided to ignore his comment. Mr. Davenport walked over to the super computer. "This super computer is calculating the precise time you need to launch the rocket. It could be minutes, it could be hours, you're just going to have to wait and see."

"In here?" Bree demanded. "But we're supposed to go to the beach!"

"Yeah, and I was supposed to be 6'1". Life is full of disappointments." He replied, then looked up at Adam. My brother stood almost a foot above him.

"Great, so we all have to pay the price for another short guy with an axe to grind." I complained. Mr. Davenport looked offended by the comment, but didn't dwell on it.

"Look, guys focus. It takes all three of you to initiate this sequence. Once the alert sounds, you'll have a two hour window to launch the rocket before the flare becomes unstoppable. Got it?"

"Yeah, we got it. Saving the world's going to ruin my vacation." Bree muttered. "Stupid world."

"Would you guys hurry up?" Tasha's voice came from outside. "There is a bulldog in sunglasses riding a surfboard!"

There was a splash. "Nevermind!"

We all exchanged looks. "Be right there honey!" Mr. Davenport called. "Look, as soon as you guys launch the rocket and save the world, you can get out of here and go get your beach on." We all looked at him again. "What? Still nothing?"

We shook our heads at him. "You know what, I don't need your approval. I'm rich."

We still glared at him, annoyed that our day was ruined by the solar flare. Logically, we knew that it wasn't anyone's fault, certainly not his, but we needed someone to blame.

"Am I the only one who thinks launching a rocket is cool?" Leo interrupted. "Big D, go slather on some SPF50…thousand. 50,000." He corrected himself. "I've got this."

"No, the only thing you've got is the uncanny ability to break the most expensive thing in the room." Mr. Davenport ushered him away from the consol. Leo looked down guiltily.

"Is this about your guitar?" he asked. Mr. Davenport froze.

"What about my guitar?" he questioned. Leo faked a smile.

"Let's go! We're missing the surfing bulldog!" He ran outside, Mr. Davenport following him.

"What about my guitar?" he demanded, the door closing shut behind him. Calla frowned.

"Seriously though, what happened to his guitar?" she asked. I smirked.

"Well, long story short, Leo was pretending to be a rock star and he smashed it during his finale." I explained. She smirked.

"Classic Leo." She muttered under her breath. She started towards the door.

"You're ditching us too?" Bree complained. Calla sent us all an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, but I do have to find my mom and Jaden." She reminded us. "I'll be back later though. Promise."

She gave me a quick peck on the lips before departing.

Calla's POV

"Hey! I'm back!" I called, sitting down on the blanket next to Jaden. We'd managed to get a spot right next to Tasha, Mr. Davenport and Leo. By this point, I'd gotten changed into my beach clothes. Even Jaden was dressed for the weather, only wearing his red swim trunks and a pair of sandals. He was currently lying face up on the blanket, soaking in some rays.

"Hey." He greeted, flipping his sunglasses up to look at me, before readjusting them. "When's that solar rocket thingy going to be over? I texted Bree half an hour ago and offered to teach her how to surf."

"I'm sure she'd love that." I told him. "But I don't know when it's going to be over."

"Hmm." Was his reply. He frowned and sat up, looking past me. "What are those two up to?"

I glanced over my shoulder to see Leo and Mr. Davenport huddled around a…can of soda? Something about that seemed odd. "I'm going to go check."

I got to my feet and walked over to them. "There is no such thing as a tech-free weekend." I heard Mr. Davenport whisper to Leo.

"Oh, so you lied to your wife?" I asked, careful to keep my voice down. They looked a little surprised to see me. I didn't give them a chance to explain the comment. "What's that?" I gestured at the soda can.

"It's a phone." Leo replied simply. I leaned in close as he held the can/phone up to his ear.

"Super boring Mission Headquarters, Bree speaking." Bree's voice came out of the bottom of the can/phone. I gave Mr. Davenport a thumbs up, impressed with the gadget.

"Hey Bree, how's the mission?" Leo whispered into it. Suddenly, Tasha looked up from her conversation with my mom.

"Leo, what are you drinking?" she questioned.

"Calla you back cola?" he didn't sound too sure of his lie.

"You know you're not supposed to drink soda. It makes you all jumpy." Tasha scolded, holding her hand out for the can/phone. "Give me that."

We all exchanged looks, wondering if we should do as she asked. But because we were all too terrified of her glare, we decided it was in our best interest to give her the can/phone. The second Leo placed it in her hands, she tossed it into the open cooler. Somehow, she missed the sparks that flew from it and the smoke that rose from the cooler when it hit the partially melted ice.

"I should have sprung for the six-pack." Mr. Davenport muttered. I almost laughed.

"Well, Big D, it looks like we're going to have to check in with them the old fashion way." Leo decided. "With my feet, my face, and a whole lot of this."

He grinned and pointed at Mr. Davenport. Said inventor stared at him for a moment.

"Just hurry back. The only reason I'm letting you go in the first place is so that you stopping doing that," he mimicked Leo's pointing thing, "anywhere near me."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on Leo."

"Calla, since I can't supervise from here, you're in charge." Mr. Davenport called after me. I nodded and grinned at the thought of getting a higher ranked position than normal.

I led Leo to the RV, where our three best friends were waiting impatiently for the solar flare. "Hey super sibs." Leo started doing that pointing thing when we entered the RV. "how's the mission going?"

"This stinks! We're going to miss the whole stupid day in this stupid lab waiting for the stupid computer! It's all just so…dumb!" Adam complained.

"Why don't you take turns coming to the beach with us?" Leo suggested.

"We can't. The launch procedure requires all three of us." Chase reminded him. Suddenly, Adam's face lit up.

"But if there are three of us, plus two, then two can stay and three can go until we need three. And then one can stay and one can go get the one that's having fun with the other two." Adam frowned, looking at his fingers. "Wait, somebody check my math."

I just stared at him, stunned that he figured all that out on his own. "He's right." Chase was just as shocked. "Someone pat him on the head and give him a biscuit."

Adam did a little dance to celebrate his mathematical victory. "Cool, so one of us can leave?" Bree asked, looking at Leo and I excitedly. Chase nodded.

"I say we should put it up to a vote-" "Me first!" Bree interrupted him. "Come on guys!"

Suddenly, she was grabbing Leo and I by the arms. We were then sped right onto the board walk. "God Bree…" I moaned when she released us. I could feel my stomach churn from the sudden speed. "Give me a warning next time. Super speed and two cans of Pepsi do not mix."

"You're fine." She brushed me off. "So, what do you want to do first? Oh, do you know where Jaden is?"

"Getting ice cream?" We turned to see my brother standing behind us, an amused smirk on his face. He was holding a tray full of ice cream. "I was actually going to bring you all some."

Bree just looked at him. "You're shirtless." She observed. Jaden nodded and smirked.

"Yes, yes I am." He agreed. She nodded, eyes on his chest. I rolled my eyes. Seriously guys? Seriously?

"Okay then." She said after a moment. "Thanks for the ice cream."

She grabbed one of the cones from the tray. "Now, time for you to show me around."

She grabbed his arm and started pulling him down the boardwalk. I rolled my eyes.

"Thanks for inviting us!" I called to them, but my voice landed on deaf ears. Leo smirked at me.

"You knew that was going to happen." He told me. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on. Let's have fun. We'll trade Bree out for Chase in an hour." I decided.

Chase's POV

Adam and I both ran outside the second Bree left with Calla and Leo. "They're gone!" I complained.

"So gone!" Adam agreed.

"This is not fair!" I muttered.

"So not fair!" He agreed.

"She is so not going to get away with this." I decided. Adam nodded.

"So not going to get away with this." He replied. Suddenly, I had an idea.

"You know what? I'm going to march right down to that beach and I'm going to find her. Even if it takes me all day." I announced. Adam, being the dimwit that he was, agreed with me completely.

"Yeah! Make her pay!" he pushed me down towards the beach. I ran ahead, only half looking for Bree. Likely, I'd end up running into her, Leo and Calla, then send the first two back so I could get some private vacation time with my girlfriend. Besides, what were the chances of the solar flare happening before I found them?

Calla's POV

"How are you so good at that?" I demanded, holding my new stuffed dolphin under my arm. Leo just shrugged, holding both a giant crab and a shark.

"I don't know. Ring toss just comes easy to me, I…" he trailed off suddenly, the smile fading from his face. "Is that Chase?"

I looked in the direction Leo was gesturing and saw my boyfriend dancing right next to a silver painted man. Suddenly, a gasp came from behind us.

"What's Chase doing out here?" We turned to see Bree and Jaden running towards us, the latter carrying a massive teddy bear on his back.

"Chase?" I ran over to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Watching this guy." He replied, grinning. "People keep giving him money, but he just won't leave."

"They're not paying him to leave, they're paying him because…you know what, it's not important." I muttered. "You're supposed to be watching the mobile lab."

"No worries. Adam's watching it." He replied. I stared at him, wondering if he realized just how badly those two phrases contradicted each other.

"What's up beach bums!" Adam walked over, a sun hat on his head and a tray full of ice cream in his arm. I glanced at Chase.

"You were saying?" I questioned. He ignored me.

"Adam, what are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Well, I wanted an ice cream cone, but they had twenty one flavours." Adam replied. "And you know me; I'm never one to make an uninformed decision."

"Get rid of those. We need to get back to the mobile lab!" I ordered. Adam nodded.

"Okay." He looked around. "Free ice cream!"

He handed an ice cream cone to a surfer that walked by. "Thanks dude." The guy grinned.

"Oh, and don't worry; it's barely been licked." Adam assured him. The boy gave him a look and walked off.

"Alright, back to the mobile lab. That's an order." I grabbed Chase's hand and started pulling him back to the parking lot where we parked the RV.

"Hey, we were just trying to have some fun." He muttered. I nodded.

"I know. And I should have made Bree switch with ne of you a while ago. But Mr. Davenport left me in charge and I wanted to do it right." I told him. He smiled in understanding. But before he said anything, his eyes went wide.

"Oh no." He muttered. I followed hi gaze. I should have seen a giant RV sitting in the parking lot. Instead, there were no vehicles in sight.

"Where's the mobile lab?" Bree demanded, looking at us in confusion. "It was parked right here!"

"It's gone!" Leo gasped. I sent him a glare.

"No shit, Sherlock." I muttered.

"Okay, alright. Everyone calm down and don't panic." Chase told us. Suddenly, Adam screamed. We all stared at him.

"Sorry, brain-freeze." He explained. He frowned. "Hey, where's the RV?"

"How could the mobile lab just disappear?" Bree questioned.

"Maybe it got tired of waiting and it split like we did." Adam suggested. We ignored him.

"We have to tell Mr. Davenport." I decided. Chase looked at me.

"And what are we supposed to tell him? 'Hey, remember that really easy mission where all we had to do was sit around and wait? Well, guess what? We totally blew it and the world is toast. Oopsie.'"

I frowned. "Well, we don't have to say it like that." I defended myself. Suddenly, I saw what looked like a cop on scooter. "Sir!" I called, waving my hands to get his attention.

He pushed his scooter over to us and I recognized him as Erik. He was one of the lower ranked officers that occasionally helped out at the station where my mom worked. "Officer Erik, we'd like to report a stolen RV. It was parked right here and it's imperative that we-"

"Cool your jets, kid." He interrupted me. "I had it towed."

"What?" Adam demanded. "Why?"

"Your car alarm has been going off for like an hour, dude!" Erik exclaimed. Car alarm? Oh, crap. "Plus," Erik didn't noticed the looks of horror on our faces, "I thought it would be funny to watch a little tow truck pull that huge thing away. It was."

Chase looked at me. "Car alarm?" he repeated softly, coming to the same conclusion as me.

"If you guys want your RV back, you're going to have to cough up two hundred clams." Erik informed us. Adam sighed.

"Okay, but does it have to be clams? Personally, I'm more a shrimp guy." Adam told him. Erik gave him a look. I smiled at him, trying to look innocent.

"Officer Erik, we didn't mean for the alarm to go off. We'll be more careful next time, but we don't have that much money. Is there any way you could let us off easy? As a favour to my mom?" I asked, smiling. He shook his head.

"Sorry kid." He rolled his scooter away.

"Seriously?" I questioned. "That smile always gets me what I want!"

"Not this time sis." Jaden chuckled. I sent him a glare.

"Guys, that 'car alarm' was the computer's alarm telling us that we need to launch the rocket." Chase told everyone who hadn't figured it out yet.

"So that means we have under an hour to collect two hundred dollars to get the mobile lab back, stop the solar flare, and wrestle a shark!" Leo exclaimed. We all stared at him, mainly because of that last part. "What? You're bionic and we're at the beach. I'd like to do one fun thing today."

"We need to tell Mr. Davenport." I said again. "He'll lend us the money to get the RV back."

"No, no way. We can still fix this." Chase argued. "I know how we can get the money fast."

Chase and the others started running off. I looked at them, not following. If his idea was what I thought it was… "Chase! Nobody's going to pay to see you wrestle a shark!"

Chase's POV

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!" Leo called putting on his best showman's face. Calla smiled dazzlingly beside him.

"Step right up and see the wonders of the Calla and Leo's Legendary Boardwalk Freak show!" She announced.

"Sideshow." I corrected.

"Whatever." She replied. Whenever Calla was trying to show off or sell something, she was all about business. She didn't notice anyone else but the people she was trying to impress.

"First, direct your attention and your dollars to Adam the incredibly, but not suspiciously, strong man!"

Adam walked out onto the center of the boardwalk. Already, a lot of people had come by to watch. Adam walked over to a little girl wearing a pink bunny shirt.

"Hey sweetie, you like bunnies?" he asked. She nodded, grinning. "Me too. Check this out."

He pulled a metal sign out of the ground with ease, earning a few "oohs". He then proceeded to bend the bar until it looked like a bunny.

"Here you go." He offered the shape to the girl. She reached for it, but dropped it because it was too heavy. Everyone burst into applause and started putting money into the hat Jaden was passing around.

"Wasn't that amazing folks?" Leo asked. Calla nodded.

"It sure was, Leo. Now, keep your eyes and your wallets open for Bree, the Magnificent Mistress of Magic!"

Bree walked forward, basking in the spotlight. "Do I have a volunteer?" She asked. Silence. She looked around, then pointed at a guy with a red hat. "Looks like it's you, big guy."

The man stepped forward as Bree pulled a sand dollar out of her pocket. "Okay people. Keep your eye on the shell." She instructed. She waved it for a moment, then sped around the man too fast for anyone to see. When she stopped, both her hands were closed. "Where is it?"

The man chose her right hand. She opened it to show that it was empty. "Nope, and look over here." She opened her other hand and held up a plastic card. "Bam! Your driver's license!"

The man reached for his wallet and opened it up. He then pulled the sand dollar out of it and lifted to for all to see.

"Bravo!" Calla called as Jaden once again passed the hat along. Bree looked down at the driver's licence.

"You know, I never would have guessed you were bald under there." She murmured, handing the card back to the man.

"Her flying fingers are quicker than the human eye!" Calla announced. "But it's actually a simple trick that's not that impressive once you know how to do it."

"And last, but not least," Leo continued. "Let's keep it going for the amazing Chase, who will…"

Silence. "What can you do that won't bore people?" he whispered to me. I smirked.

"I got this." I assured him, stepping forward. "Now if someone could kindly give me a prime number with at least four digits, I will mathematically extrapolate-"

"Good job!" Calla interrupted me. "Let's give him a hand! Yeah!"

Everyone started to walk away, despite our attempts to catch their attention once more. Suddenly, Officer Erik rolled his scooter over to us. He grinned. "Great show, guys."

"Thanks." I grinned back. He sent me a glare.

"I was talking to Calla and the shorter one." He snapped. "You totally bombed bro."

"It wasn't that bad…oh, who am I kidding?" Calla gave up trying to defend me. "Sorry babe, but no one wants to see math outside of school."

I rolled my eyes. "Now," Officer Erik said loudly, "unless you dudes want to shoot the curl on a long board of hurt, you'd best show me your performance permits, like right now."

"We don't have permits! We're busted!" Adam exclaimed. I rolled my eyes, smirking. We had nothing to be worried about.

"Relax. He's wearing flip-flops and his squad car has handle bars. He's not even a real cop!"

Calla's POV

"Yet he has a real jail." Chase muttered as the iron bars closed in front of our faces.

I sighed and sat down on one of the benches. "We're so dead." I muttered. I looked up at Jaden. "Mom's going to kill us."

"I know." He agreed. I glanced at Chase.

"So, what's the plan?" I questioned.

"There's only one thing left for us to do." He decided. "We have to find a way to get in touch with Mr. Davenport fast."

"Really? Why didn't I think of that?" I asked sarcastically. "Oh wait, I did."

Usually, I wasn't this harsh. But considering that we were sitting in a jail cell because Chase had the idea of doing a sideshow performance, I felt I had enough of a reason. "Besides, how are we supposed to talk to him?"

"I know! I'll just call him." Adam replied. "DAVENPORT!"

Suddenly, the door to the beach police station opened and Mr. Davenport was walked in by a long haired officer. We looked at him, a little surprised by the coincidence. "I can't believe that worked!" Adam chuckled.

"I did not steal anything!" Mr. Davenport told the officers, not even noticing us. "That woman committed assault with a deadly floatie."

He was ignored and shoved into the cell with us. "AH!" He screamed upon seeing us. We all waved, guilty smiles on our faces.

Leo got up and walked over to him. "Long story short, we botched the mission, world is doomed, solar flare is coming…Oopsie."

Mr. Davenport looked like he was seconds away from freaking out. "You know, an hour ago I was a little freaked out because I didn't know what was happening, But now I think I preferred the mystery! What are we going to do?"

"I can use my strength to break us out." Adam suggested.

"Good one." Mr. Davenport praised him. "Okay, we have to find a way to distract Captain Co-Co Butter over there."

We looked past him to see Erik doing an air drum solo with him headphones on. Bree smirked.

"If only we had a burrito or like a monster wave, dude." She mocked the man. Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes.

"Luckily, there is a master inventor in the house. Everyone empty your pockets."

We did as he asked. "Stick of gum." "Two dimes." "Paperclip." "Nine volt battery." "Bobbi pin."

We all looked at Chase, who held the pin up. "What? Bree had a nine volt battery but no one found that weird." He said, adding him pin to the pile.

"All I have to do," Mr. Davenport announced while assembling the objects, "is take these items and fashion a makeshift phone out of them." We looked at him skeptically. "Who am I kidding? This is a bunch of pocket junk. I can't do anything with this."

Suddenly, someone's ringtone started going off. "It works!" Mr. Davenport gasped, shocked. I rolled my eyes and pointed at Erik. Everyone watched as he picked up his cell phone and answered it.

"Hello?" He greeted. He listened for a second. "What? What do you mean somebody's towing my scooter, dude!"

He dropped the phone and stumbled out of the police station. "Now's our chance!" Mr. Davenport hissed. "Adam, be discreet. Turn the lock pin ever so slightly."

Instead, Adam just pulled the door from it's hinges. "Oops."

Mr. Davenport just shrugged. "That will work too. Let's go."

We ran from the jailhouse and started searching for the RV.

Chase's POV

When we finally got inside the mobile lab, the alarm was still going off. But that wasn't the bad part. The bad part was that the entire place had been trashed, everything out of place and on the ground.

"Oh no. Everything got messed when the RV got towed!" Adam exclaimed.

"This is bad. This is really bad." I told them, worried.

"Yeah, it is." Mr. Davenport agreed, looking at the bill in his hands. "200$ to get my RV back, 200$ for disorderly conduct, and 100$ for stealing a cell phone! What were you thinking?"

"That was you!" Leo reminded him. He stopped, then looked at the screen.

"There is a solar flare heading towards us right now!" he exclaimed, changing the subject.

"I'm freaking out!" Adam announced, starting to panic.

"Don't panic." Mr. Davenport told us. "In simulations, you guys have launched this rocket in two minutes and you still got…"

"Launch window closes in sixty seconds." He computer announced.

"…half that." Mr. Davenport finished. "Okay, we're going to have to work together. Adam, pick up that rocket. Jaden and Leo, find the launch keys. Bree, consol. Calla and Chase, you're going to have to help me figure out the launch vectors."

"Right." We both agreed, starting to type. Mr. Davenport started panicking.

"All the launch vectors have been corrupted in every system. The computer isn't fast enough to recalculate them." He muttered. He ran over to the other computer, while Calla and I took over here.

"Bree, how many words can you type in a minute?" I questioned as Calla got out the paper manual.

"All of them." My sister replied, as if I was stupid. To be fair, it was a stupid question.

"Right, I knew that. Type this in." I ordered. "Launch to 60,000 feet. Then change the altitude to generate negative K alpha in four percent of the predicted trajectory."

"And then," Calla continued for me, "fire rocket thrusters to initiate aerial raid."

Bree sped over and slammed her hand down on the red button next to us. "Done." Bree, Calla and I said at once.

"Done." Mr. Davenport and Adam confirmed.

"Launch window closes in 10…9…8…" We looked at Leo.

"The launch keys!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed as Leo pulled the keys out of a box by the door.

"I found them, I found them." He handed one to Mr. Davenport.

"7…6…5…"

"They have to be turned at the same time!" Mr. Davenport had to shout to be heard over the computer's countdown. "The other keyhole is over there."

Leo started running towards the keyhole. "4…3…2…" He leapt at the last moment, sliding the key in and turning it as the computer hit one. Mr. Davenport turned the key at the same moment and the whole RV shook as the rocket launched into the air. We all hit the floor. A few seconds later, when the shaking stopped, we got to our feet.

"Did it work?" Jaden asked, helping Bree up.

"Everything looks good. It's on target." Mr. Davenport replied. We watched on the monitor as the rocket flew into space, exploding into a white gas when it reached the solar flare. The fire from the flare disappeared.

"Solar flare neutralized." The computer announced.

"Yes!" we cheered, everyone hugging each other.

Mr. Davenport turned to us, smiling. "You guys can go have fun at the beach now." He told us. We grinned.

"Finally!" Suddenly, another alarm went off.

"Oh no!" Mr. Davenport shouted, leaning against the consol.

"What now?" we demanded. It had better no be another solar flare.

"Nothing, I was just messing with you." Mr. Davenport replied, smirking. "It was my car alarm."

"Really?" I demanded, ignoring his high-five. We walked out of the RV, intending to have some fun at the beach for the first time today.

Calla's POV

"Hey guys!" Tasha greeted as we ran over to her. We'd come straight here after leaving the RV. Well, we made one quick stop. We'd left our stuffed animals at the boardwalk and had to go back and get them. Surprisingly, they hadn't been stolen.

"Hey Tasha, check out what Jaden won for me." Bree smiled proudly, holding the massive teddy bear over her shoulders. I sent my brother a smirk, who just rolled his eyes.

"It's really nice Bree." Tasha replied. My mom smiled.

"That was really sweet of you Jaden." She told him. Tasha looked at us.

"Did you guys have fun today?" She asked. We nodded.

"Yeah" "it was a blast" "really fun" "we won a bunch of prizes" "we weren't in jail, that's for sure." "The ice cream was good." We all replied.

"That's great." Tasha started to pack her stuff together. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I've had my fill of fun for the day, so let's go home."

"That's a good idea." My mom agreed. We all looked at them, despair on our faces.

"Go home?" Bree repeated. "But we didn't get to do anything fun yet!"

Both moms looked at us. "Wait, if you guys haven't had fun all day, then what have you been doing?" Tasha asked suspiciously. We exchanged looks, a silent agreement between all of us.

"Home it is then." We decided, practically running back to the vehicles before they could ask anymore questions.


	11. Death Spiral Smackdown

Leo's POV

"Gym class, fun." Calla muttered sarcastically as we walked into the gym. To our surprise, a large platform covered by a white sheet sat in the middle. "Oh no! It's fitness challenge week, isn't it?"

Fitness challenge week was this competition Perry liked to put on every year. Basically, the entire gym class would split into teams of two and had to participate in whatever torture Perry put together. The winning team would get out gym class for a week.

Ever since Calla and I met, we'd partnered up with each other. Usually, we'd lose in the first few rounds, then watch as everyone else had to do it. But not this year. Because this year, I wanted to win. And

"Oh, hey Adam." Calla greeted randomly as he walked over to us. He smiled, then looked at the platform.

"What's that?" he asked. Before he could answer, Perry walked in.

"Prepare yourselves, Dingoes!" she announced loudly. "It's time for my annual fitness challenge week. This year, forget about push-ups, sit-ups…it's time for bruises, sprains, and freak accidents!"

She pulled a remote out of her bag. "I present the Death Spiral Smackdown!"

She pressed a button and a wire pulled the sheet off the platform. It was red with flaming skulls on it. In the middle was a blue and red spinning circle. Smoke burst from holes on the sides of the circle.

"Whoa." "Wicked." "Cool." Adam, Calla and I murmured.

"Well, say what you want about it, but she knows how to bring the sizzle." Adam commented. Calla and I nodded in agreement as Perry stepped up onto the platform.

"Why do you call it the Death Spiral?" I asked curiously. "I mean, it doesn't look so scary to me."

Bad questioned. Perry looked really, really annoyed. She grabbed one of the teachers and pushed him onto the circle. "Why don't I have Vice Principal Tanner demonstrate for you?"

Calla looked at me and frowned. "Wait, we have a vice principal?" she questioned.

Perry pressed a button on her remote and the circle in the middle of the platform started spinning really fast. It was more than enough to knock Vice Principal Tanner off his feet. He tried to get back up, but the circle was spinning too fast. In a matter of seconds, the speed of the circle's spinning grew to be too much. The momentum threw him off the platform, causing him to fly across the room.

"Not anymore." I said to Calla with a slight smirk. She rolled her eyes.

Adam walked over to Perry. "Wait, so how does it work?" He asked.

"You wrestle your opponent as it spins you silly. It'll test your strength, reflexes, and ability to hold you bladder against centrifugal force!" Perry replied gleefully. Adam faked a smile and looked at the platform nervously.

"So, do you think you can handle it, Leo?" Calla questioned, looking at it.

"Well, my bladder's strong, but just to be safe I'm going to get a full body diaper. In the face of fear, you never know where you're going to leak from." I replied. She made a face.

"I'll stick to dark gym shorts." She said. Perry looked back at the crowd just then.

"If you have the guts, partner up and choose carefully. Your survival depends on the decision you make and there are very few good options." Perry laughed.

Calla looked at me. "So, when we lose this year, are we going to wear those capes we did last year?" she asked.

I hesitated before answering. Calla was one of my best friends, not to mention she was one of the only girls in the school that spoke to me. But if I wanted to win, I couldn't partner up with her. But I didn't want to hurt her feelings either, because if her feelings are hurt, she'll hurt you.

"Listen Calla…I don't want to lose, I want to be a winner. So this year, we're going in a different direction."

Calla grinned. "Thank god. I really hated those capes. What's the plan?"

"Well, this year, we're going to have different partners." I replied. Calla frowned at me.

"Oh, I get it." She nodded. There was a hint of hurt in her voice, along with some annoyance. "That's fine. There a plenty of people I can partner up with that are better than you."

I sighed. "I'm sorry, Calla, but with my new partner, I'm going to win this thing."

Perry must have been listening, because she walked over with a smirk on her face. "You're going to try this again? Last year you threw your back out picking your wedgie!"

I glared at her as she walked away. "Well, this year's going to be different because this year, I have a secret weapon." As I spoke, I walked over to Adam and patted his arm.

"Ooh, what is it?" The older boy asked. I sighed.

"You." I informed him. He looked at me for a second.

"That is a good secret." He agreed. He looked at Perry. "I didn't even know about it."

"Seriously, you're choosing Adam over me?" Calla demanded, arms crossed. I nodded, smiling apologetically at her. She smirked then. "Alright, fine. This should be fun."

She walked away, the smirk still on her face. I wasn't sure what she was planning, but I should have been scared.

Xxx

I grinned at Bree and Chase, getting the milk and juice out for breakfast. "After school today is the big Death Spiral Smackdown. Me and Adam are going to UNLEASH the fury!"

They looked at me. "Yeah I heard about that." Chase replied, finishing off his toast. "Calla's pretty annoyed with you."

"Well, she'll get over it. Are you guys going to come watch?" I asked.

"We'd love to," Chase replied "but we're going to go to the mall and check out the escalator. I finally mastered the art of stepping off without tripping. Calla was going to come, but she's got to do that Death Spiral Smackdown thing too."

"Oh, were we supposed to do that today?" Bree asked, sounding guilty. "Shoot, I can't make it. I have…I have a really big test to study for."

"What?" Chase looked so devastated. "Okay fine. I just hope those old ladies are there to clap for me again."

I smirked and went to the cupboard to get some cereal. I pulled out a jar of some unfamiliar pellets. "I've never had this cereal before." I muttered, taking a handful.

"Leo, don't!" Bree exclaimed. I turned back to her and Chase. "Those are power pellets!"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't care what they're called as long as they make my milk chocolaty." I replied, grinning.

"No, they're bite sized pieces of adrenaline that activate our bionics." Chase explained.

"Yeah, but we don't eat them anymore because we learned how to activate them ourselves." Bree continued.

Chase chuckled. "They taste like dog treats without the livery aftertaste." We both looked at him. "I'm guessing."

"I guess I'll just have these." I picked up a second box of cereal, only for Chase to rip it out of my hands.

"Careful Leo." He wanred. "Those are Powdered Sugar Cookie Donut Os. Studies have shown they slow down your brain activity."

Adam chose that moment to walk into the room. "Yummy!" he gasped. "Powdered Sugar Cookie Donut Os!"

"Adam," Chase started. He stopped midsentence when he got a text. "Nevermind. Calla and Jaden are waiting at the bus stop. See you guys!"

Both he and Bree walked out the door as Adam sat down. I grinned. "Adam, here is our Smackdown game plan. I will distract everyone while you use your bionics to crush our opponents."

Adam didn't grin like I expected him to. "Leo, bionics are for missions. Using them for a school competition would just be wrong."

My smile fell. "But you have to use your bionics! It's the whole reason I chose you! It's the weapon part of our secret weapon!"

"Bummer! You thought I was going to use bionics and you blew off Calla. You do realize she's going to kill you for that, right?"

I sighed. I did not need a reminder of that. I walked back to the counter and suddenly, an idea hit me. It was devious, I would get in a lot of trouble if I got caught, but it would work!

"Adam, let me help you with that!" I grabbed the juice container and started pouring the orange liquid into his cereal bowl.

"Leo, you're ruining my cereal!" he exclaimed. I frowned.

"Am I?" I tasted the liquid. "You're right. That is not milk. Let me fix that."

I grabbed all the containers off the counter and brought it to the other table. I grabbed a bowl and poured a little of the power pellets into it. I put a handful of the cereal in, then mixed the two in the cereal box. I poured the milk into the bowl and brought it back to Adam.

"There you go." I smiled. "Eat up teammate."

He just looked at me. "I can't eat this. Not without a spoon."

"Right, sorry." I handed him a spoon, then grinned as he shovelled the cereal/pellet mix into his mouth. This would be fun.

Chase's POV

"Hey, I'm really sorry I can't go to the mall with you later." Calla apologized as I got my bag out of my locker.

"It's fine. The competition's important to you." I replied. She smiled.

"Why don't we go on the weekend? Then Bree can come with us because her test is going to be done." She suggested. I nodded.

"Yeah, sure…" I trailed off. Bree, who was supposed to be at home studying, was standing in the corridor, chatting with Jaden. "What's she still doing here?"

"Yeah, she's not studying for a test." Calla told me, shaking her head.

I frowned and focused my bionic hearing on Bree and Jaden.

"So, a bunch of the guys and I are going to the park later. Isaac's going to show his girlfriend Kelsey a couple of skateboarding tricks to impress her. I thought maybe you'd like to come along? That way Kelsey won't be the only girl there." Jaden was saying. Bree nodded eagerly.

"Whatever we do, I have to avoid Chase. I totally ditched him to hang out with you and your friends." She replied.

I stared at her in shock. "She lied to me!" I gasped. Calla bit her lip.

"Babe, I don't think you needed bionics to figure that one out." She told me. I ignored the comment.

"She thinks she can just ditch me and get away with it? She is going down!" I exclaimed. Calla rolled her eyes.

"Chase, I know you want to hang out with her and Adam all the time, but you have to let her hang out with her own friends, or in this case, her future boyfriend." She told me.

"I do not want to hang out with them ALL the time." I muttered. Calla smirked.

"Yes you do. It's part of being the baby in the family. I was the same way when Jaden started ditching me for his teammates." She informed me. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't you want to hear about my revenge, or not?" I questioned. She thought about it.

"Okay, spill." She ordered. I grinned.

"You remember my override app, right?" I asked. She nodded, eyes lighting up mischievously. "Watch this."

I raised my hand to my temple and activated the app. "Connect to Bree." I ordered.

Once it was connected, it was time for a little fun. I slapped myself in the face gently and watched in amusement as Bree did the same thing, except for much harder.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Why am I hitting myself?" Bree demanded. Even Calla couldn't help but laugh.

Unfortunately, Jaden had to ruin it. He grabbed Bree's hands, holding them at her sides so she would stop. "Everything alright, Bree?" he questioned, an amused and confused smirk on his face.

"Yeah, I don't know what that was about." She replied. She removed her hands from Jaden's grasp. "I'm going to go."

She ran off, obviously embarrassed and confused. Calla smirked and rolled her eyes.

"Okay, you've had your fun. Now stop tormenting the poor girl and go ride your escalators." She kissed me quickly before rushing off to talk to some guy. "Yo, Kevin!"

Leo's POV

"Twenty-three…twenty-four…twenty-five!" I exclaimed, finishing my jumping jacks. Adam, of course, had already done a hundred. He was really, really pumped for today.

"Wow, that cereal's really got me going!" he exclaimed. "I feel like I can bite the head off of a gazelle! Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom!"

"Great! Let's focus that…disturbing energy on winning!" I told him. Suddenly, an amused voice from behind me caught my attention.

"Hey Adam, Dooley." I turned to see Calla standing there, her arms crossed. "You know, you're not the only one with a secret weapon."

"Oh really?" I asked, wondering what she could have that could beat us. She looked over her shoulder.

"Kevin!" she called. One of the largest people I've ever seen walked over. Seriously, he was massive. Calla smirked at my expression. "His name's Kevin Mitchell, but everyone calls him Destructo. He's a second year senior, is on the football team, and has won the school's wrestling competition for the past three years. I tutored him in physics last semester and he's agreed to be my partner. Scared?"

"No." I replied. "I have him."

Adam nodded. "They call me Adam-o." He frowned, thinking about the name. He turned to me. "I need a new name."

Before Calla and I could get into an argument over who's secret weapon was better (we all know that's what was going to happen) Perry walked to the center of the platform.

"Listen up, you flabby, weak underachievers!" she called. "Here's how this works. Two teams face off and the first team thrown off the platform loses. Sudden death with no second chances."

She looked around and pointed at Adam and I. "Short kid and doofus, you're up against spaghetti legs and bowl cut."

She pointed at two guys behind her. They climbed onto the circle, standing across from us. "Let's get ready to spiral!" she announced, everyone (especially Adam) getting pumped.

She tried to blow her air horn, but no sound came out. Eventually, she just got annoyed and gave up. "GO!" She shouted, starting the match.

The circle started to spin. The crowd started cheering as we started to fight. Adam and bowl cut grabbed arms, trying to physically push the other off the circle while skinny legs started chasing me around them. After a few seconds, the circle started spinning faster and faster.

"Leo!" Adam called suddenly. He grabbed me by the arm, then slammed his foot down beside the circle. He used his strength to stop it, mid-spin. Skinny legs and bowl cut, both unprepared for the sudden stop, flew off the circle.

"Way to stick the landing!" Perry shouted, laughing. "Next!"

"We won!" I cheered. "I am the death spiral master!"

"AHH!" Adam roared. He looked at me, his eyes flashing red as if he was about to use his laser vision.

"He's the death spiral master!" I corrected. He grinned and cheered.

Chase's POV

I looked up from my book just in time to see Bree walking up to Jaden. I grinned. Time to have some more fun.

"Hey Jay, sorry about earlier. I don't know what came over me." She apologized.

"It's cool. We all have our moments." He replied. I smirked and activated the override app.

"Thanks. Oops sa goo sober leaks buba tanoo." (1) We both said at the same time. Bree frowned, confused as to what she just said. Jaden raised an eyebrow, also confused.

"Bree, you're having a lot of moments." Jaden told her. Bree rushed to fix things.

"No, it's just…I speak Swedish. Me coopley ano mora boy dante." She said, brushing her hair back. Jaden smirked. "And Spanish…apparently."

"It's cool. It's actually kinda cute." He chuckled. I raised an eyebrow. Cute huh?

"Oh dude," Bree said. "Check out those hot babes. Think one of them will go out with me?"

Bree's eyes widened and she clapped her hands over her mouth. Jaden stared at her for a moment. "…Okay then. You clearly need some personal time. We can go to the park some other time." He said, walking off.

"Jaden!" Bree called after him, but he was already gone. I smirked, leaning up against my locker. I knew that revenge wasn't the nice thing to do, but it sure was fun.

Bree looked around, trying to see if anyone saw anything. Her eyes locked on mine and realization washed over her. "You." She growled, storming over. "You did this. You're using that stupid override app, aren't you?"

I didn't even try to deny it. "Yep, because you lied to me. Well, since you used bionics on me, I'm going to use mine on you. And beware, it's coming when you least expect it."

"Ooh, those are some big words coming from a manly Spanish speaking Swede." I countered. She looked mad. Very mad. But I didn't care. Without another word, I walked away to join Calla in the gym.

Leo's POV

Six rounds later and Adam and I were still winning. In fact, we were one of the two finalists.

"You just keep getting better and better!" I exclaimed to Adam. He nodded.

"I know! And I'm not even trying!" He practically screamed. I high fived him and was about to go brag to Calla when a surprised shout stopped me.

"What the…" We all looked at Chase, who's appearance was rather…strange. His clothes were all ripped so you could see his knees and his stomach. He was also wearing a rainbow coloured clown wig, a large red nose, and a dingo tail.

Chase looked around, face red with embarrassment. Everyone in the room was laughing. Even Calla was, although she tried to hide it behind her hands. Chase's eyes rested on Bree, who was smirking.

"You're going to pay for this." He growled, turning around. He ripped off the dingo tail before storming out.

"I want that tail." Adam decided, pointing at it. Before I could retrieve it for him, Perry decided to butt in.

"This is it!" She announced. "The final showdown!" she looked at me. "Who'd have you'd make it. A 90 pounder like you should have eaten it in round two."

"Yeah, tell him!" Calla called.

"Shut it, Parker!" Perry snapped at her. She motioned for Calla and Kevin to come onto the platform with us.

"You're going down, Dooley." Calla growled at me. I could tell that she was still kinda upset with me for choosing Adam over her.

"Three…two…one…GO!" Perry shouted. Kevin and Adam started at it, while Calla tried to push me off the circle. I pushed against her as well, but really, we were the same strength.

"Leo!" Adam grabbed me and I climbed onto his back. He started pushing the circle with his foot causing it to go faster and faster until Calla and Kevin flew off, crashing into a crowd of people.

"We won! We won!" I cheered, expecting Adam to be happy. But he wasn't.

"Wait, that's it? That can't be it! I'm way too pumped for this to be over! I want more, more, MORE!" He shouted.

"Leo!" Bree called my name just then. She motioned for me to come over and I did, grateful to get away from Adam. "What's going on with Adam?"

"He's just a winner. Like me. Me and Adam are winners." She gave me a look. "I didn't do anything."

"Did you give him power pellets?" Bree asked, crossing her arms.

"Just one…" I replied "…bowl."

"WHAT?" Bree demanded. "Too many of those pellets will keep his adrenaline going! It'll snowball and he won't be able to turn his bionics off!"

I shrugged. "It doesn't matter now. WE WON!"

"Now, onto the finals!" Perry declared behind me. I turned to her, eyes widening.

"What?" I questioned.

"There can only be one true winner of the Death Spiral Smackdown." Perry explained, her arm on my shoulder. She led me over to Adam, who was playing with a basketball to keep his hands busy. "So tomorrow, we go mano-a-mano. Gentlemen, your teammate is now your enemy."

"I need to go against him?" I demanded. Adam crushed the basketball between his hands and Perry smirked.

"Yep. So you go home and get some rest. I'm going to go home and get my camera."

She and Adam walked off, the latter surrounded by several of the kids that were watching the competition.

Xxx

"Hey Leo, Bree, do I seem a little jittery to you?" Adam asked. All the way home, he'd been bouncing as he walked, unable to stay still for two seconds. Bree and I hadn't been able to calm him down at all. "Huh, huh? Do I? ANSWER ME!"

"A little jittery? No. Completely maniacal and full of rage? Maybe." I replied. Bree nodded her agreement.

"I need to sit down." Adam decided. He walked over to the counter and grabbed one of the chair. Well, he tried to grab one. He ended up throwing it halfway across the room and into the couch. Adam looked at it, then the cupboards. "I'm hungry. Oh! I'm going to eat some more of that yummy cereal!"

"No!" Bree and I both shouted. I ran ahead of him, jumped onto the counter where the cupboard was and blocked it with my hands and feet. "No more cereal!"

"Why not?" Adam questioned. I looked at Bree for help.

"Because…we're out of milk?" she suggested. Adam frowned.

"No we're not." He opened the fridge and pulled out the milk carton. "It's right here." He tightened his hand, causing the carton to break and milk to pour out of it. He dropped the container as soon as it was empty. "Okay, we're out."

He shrugged and walked into the other room. I looked at Bree. "What are we going to do?"

Before she could answer, Calla and Chase walked in. While Calla had changed out of her gym uniform and into some normal clothes, Chase's outfit was just plain weird. He was dressed in a marching band outfit, even the hat.

"Hey, it's little drummer boy." Bree teased upon seeing him. He sent her a glare.

"It's all that was left in the lost and found." He explained.

"And the hat?" I questioned.

"It's part of the ensemble. You can't break up the set." He replied. "But I am going to go change. This thing is hot."

He left the room, leaving me with Calla and Bree. "So, how was your day, Bree?" Calla asked, purposely ignoring me.

"It started out really weird, but that was Chase's fault. Remind me to explain to Jaden what happened." Bree replied. "Oh, and you won't guess what Leo did."

"Do I even want to know?" Calla asked. Bree nodded.

"He gave Adam an entire bowl of power pellets!" She exclaimed. Calla turned and stared at me.

"You what?" She demanded. I quickly explained my situation.

"Please Calla, you have to help me. I need to go against Adam tomorrow and he's like a big, strong, goofy Godzilla! And I'm Tokyo!"

"Just quit." She suggested.

"I can't just quit. The whole school is expecting me to take on Adam tomorrow." I explained, sitting down on the edge of the couch. "And if I quit, I'll just be humiliated. More humiliated." I added, noting Bree's expression.

"The pellets will wear off eventually." Bree assured me. "But until then, keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't destroy the whole house."

"Guys?" We turned to see Adam walk into the room, carrying a toilet in his arms. "Can somebody help me put this back on?" he asked.

Chase's POV

I did my best to ignore the stares I was getting as I walked into the gym. Well, waddled was more like it. It was extremely hard to walk while wearing so many layers of clothes.

I saw Bree almost immediately. She was wearing some sort of tinfoil neck brace. "All those clothes and you couldn't find something to cover your face?" She questioned.

"Go ahead, try to humiliate me." I challenged. "I have thirty-six items of clothing on."

"Why would I try? You're already humiliating yourself." She replied.

"Oh yeah? Well, the tin man called. He wants his neck back." I smirked. Bree glared at me.

"It's to prevent your stupid app from connecting to my chip!" She snapped. "It's the heavy duty kind they use in restaurants."

Some kids walked by, staring and laughing at us. Bree sent them a glare, then looked at me. "Look what you've done. Now everyone thinks we're weirdoes."

"Hey, it's your fault for lying and ditching me!" I objected.

"I just didn't want to hurt your feelings." She told me. "Jaden really, really makes me happy. Just because I want to spend a lot of time with him doesn't mean I like you any less."

I frowned, trying to think of a good come back to that. "Yeah, well I have plenty of friends now too."

"Good, you should go hang out with them more often!" Bree encouraged. I sighed.

"Yeah…I've got Calla and you guys." I admitted. "But I'm going to go hang out with her now."

"Good, but before you do that, you might want to lose a layer or two." She suggested. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, and you might want to lose the baked potato neck." I replied. She walked away to go take off the neck brace while I walked over to Calla. She looked at my outfit, then sighed.

"This is getting ridiculous." She muttered. I chuckled, pulled off the black jacket I was wearing and put it around her shoulders. She smiled and tightened it around her. "That would be way more romantic if you weren't wearing fifty layers of clothing."

"It's only thirty-five." I objected. She laughed.

"Like I said, ridiculous." She murmured.

Leo's POV

"So, as it turns out, Adam is too sick to compete." I told Principal Perry, trying to convince her not to continue with the fight. Adam wasn't really sick though. I'd chained him inside his capsule so he couldn't escape.

"Such a shame." I continued. "I guess that means I'm the winner! Winner, party of Leo, your trophy is ready."

"Sick?" Perry repeated. "He can't be sick! He's supposed to be here to annihilate you so I can run you up the flag pole and salute failure!"

"Adam is so sick he can barely move." I lied. Perry sighed.

"Alright." She agreed. "Amaya!" she called.

A pretty girl with dark hair ran forward, carrying a trophy. She handed it to Perry with a smile.

"It pains me, deep to my core, to say this" she declared for all to hear, "but the winner, by default, is L-"

"Adam!" Calla called, pointing at the doors as Adam ran in.

"Sorry, I'm late Principal Perry. Somebody," he glared furiously at me, "locked me in my cap-bedroom. But I just had a bowl of my favourite cereal, so now I'm ready to compete, crush and destroy."

"That's the dingo spirit! Bring on the pain!" Perry cheered, handing the trophy back to Amaya.

"Whoo!" Adam cheered. I felt like I was going to be sick. I was SO dead.

"Adam wait!" I called before he could murder me. "We're brothers!"

"Oh, good point." He agreed. I let out a relieved sigh. "Well, I guess I'll crush and destroy you as gently as possible while still crushing and destroying you."

Well there goes my plan. Perry hit the button on her air horn, the new on that worked, and the fight began. I started running, but because the circle was spinning, all Adam had to do was stand still to reach me. I tried to run, but there was no where to go.

"Would you hurry up?" I heard Principal Perry shout. "I'm paying these paramedics by the hour! Break something already!"

The started messing around with the steam jets, sending blasts of hot air wherever I ran. Suddenly, Adam grabbed me by the neck and lifted me two feet off the ground. I tickled him in the ribs, causing him to drop me. But Perry wasn't done interfering.

"You're not helping!" I shouted as she started throwing random things, including a garbage bag, at me.

"I wasn't trying to!" She called back. Suddenly, I was lifted off my feet again by Adam. He was holding me in the same way he did whenever he and Chase were playing Bionic Brother Toss. Except for, unlike Chase, I wasn't made to withstand serious hits like that.

"Count down to launch! Ten…nine…eight…seven…" Adam started counting.

"Eight! Nine!" I called, trying to confuse him. It worked for about a second.

"Ten! Wait, stop. You're messing me up!" Adam ordered. "Ten…nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…"

I could hear Bree, Calla and Chase in the corner, arguing. I sincerely hoped they are trying to figure out a way to save me.

"Three…two…o…" Adam stopped mid-count and turned me around in his arms, cradling me like one would a baby. I frowned, but didn't object when he set me down on the ground gently.

"Why aren't I destroying you?" he demanded.

"I…don't know." I replied, confused. But it wasn't like I was going to let this opportunity pass. "But what I do know is…" I pushed him off the platform. "I WIN!"

"Are you kidding me?" Perry demanded, walking onto the platform. "Life was so much more gratifying when I was a prison guard. Here." She pushed the trophy into my hands and walked off.

"Nice job." I turned to see Calla walking towards me. I smiled guiltily.

"You're still mad, aren't you?" I guessed. She shook her head.

"Nah, watching Adam nearly killed you kinda made up for it. Plus, you kinda deserved it for trying to cheat and all."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it." I replied. I then noticed what she held in her hands. "Hey, what's that?"

She smirked and handed it to me. It was a cape. Specifically, the capes I insisted on wearing last year. "You made me wear it, now you have to."

"Leo!" Adam called my name. He did not look happy. I said good bye to Calla and walked over to him. "Bree told me about the power pellets! I told you, I didn't want to use bionics! You took advantage of me, Leo."

I sighed. "I'm sorry, I just really wanted to win. I didn't mean for it to hurt our friendship."

Adam was still upset. "Yeah well, it did and nothing's going to fix it."

I looked down at the cape Calla had handed me. "You can have my victory cape." I offered.

He looked at it, then opened his arms. "Buddy!" He grinned, hugging me before tying the cape around his neck and pretending to be a super hero.

Chase's POV

"Wait, so you can control what I do from across the room?" Adam asked, grinning. I'd just been telling him the details of the override app. This was actually one of the first times I'd ever used it. The last time…well, they were sorta brainwashed and didn't exactly remember it, so that didn't really count.

"Pretty cool, huh?" I grinned. He narrowed his eyes.

"So, you're the one who's been making me do stupid stuff for all these years!" He accused.

"No, that's all you." I replied. He rolled his eyes.

"Well, don't do it again. I have a hard enough time controlling myself." He said. I smirked.

"Okay, but that means I can't ever do this." I activated the override app and started dancing, Adam automatically copying the moves.

"Oh, make me do the chicken dance!" He exclaimed. I grinned and did as he said. I stopped after a few seconds, but he didn't.

"Adam, I disconnected." I informed him, confused as to why he was still dancing.

"I know, but it's so much fun!" He replied, continuing his dance. I rolled my eyes and left the room.


	12. My Little Brother

Chase's POV

I double checked my bag, making sure I had all my homework. The teachers had been going crazy with the work load lately, so there'd been a lot to do.

"Aww, smells like something died in here!" Adam complained suddenly. I looked up to see him smelling his shoe. "Whoa! Something did die in here! Chase, look at this!"

I pushed the shoe out of my face. "No." I told him, going back to my books. Adam sighed.

"Well, at least tell me if this is fur or mould." He pushed the shoe back in my face. I gagged when the smell hit my nose.

"No!" I snapped, pushing it away again. Man, that was nasty. Adam shrugged and went to put his shoe back on his foot. There was a ripping sound as he poked his toes out the other end. "Adam, what did you do to your shoe?"

"I don't know my own strength." He replied. "The same thing happened yesterday with my underwear."

I looked at him. "Oh, that reminds me." He grinned. "I got you a new headband for gym class."

He put the ripped underwear on my head and I threw it off in disgust. "Mr. Davenport warned us about this." I sighed. "As we get older, our chips have to be recalibrated to adjust for our growth."

Adam laughed. "Then your will never have to be adjusted." He chuckled. "Because you're body doesn't grow, get it?"

I ignored him and started putting my things back into my school bag. "I'm saying your small." Adam continued.

"I get it!" I snapped. "When Mr. Davenport gets back from that meeting in Fresno, he can recalibrate your super strength." I said, walking over where I'd tossed my shoes. I quickly put them on, then looked at Adam. "Hey, pass me my backpack."

Adam picked up my backpack and tossed it towards me. I had to duck out of the way to avoid being hit by it and I watched as it went right through the door, leaving a massive hole.

I looked back at Adam. "Or we could do it now." I decided. "Get in your capsule." I ordered.

"But I like being ridiculously strong!" He objected. "I'm like King Kong without the little lady in his hand!" He looked at me and grinned, then held out his hand. "Go ahead Chase, jump in."

I just looked at him and shook my head. "Go!" I ordered, pointing at his capsule.

"Fine." He sighed, doing as he was told. I walked over to consol as he got in.

"Okay, let's see." I thought aloud, putting in the correct settings. "Adam's size parameter, 6'1", 175 lbs-"

"Make it a 180." Adam interrupted, rubbing his stomach. "I had a big breakfast."

I rolled my eyes, but changed it like he requested. "Since your strength is intensified," I told him, "I'm going to dial it back from an eight to a six."

"Hold on. You can adjust my strength?" Adam questioned. I nodded. "Well, don't dial me down! Make me a ten!"

"No way!" I argued. "That would be like giving a stick of dynamite to a…well, you!"

He laughed at the thought. I finished with the settings and then hit the readjustment button. A white light pulsed in Adam's capsule as his strength readjusted. Finally, it was finished. "There, you're done. Now hurry! We're going to be late for school!"

I grabbed my bag and ran out the door, disliking the idea of being late for my chemistry class. "I'll be right there! I just have to…not do something for a minute!" Adam called after me. I ignored him and jogged up the familiar path to the school.

Calla met me in front of the school doors. "Hey, you're late." She observed.

"I had to adjust Adam's strength because of his height." I explained. "And Adam really wanted me to bring it up."

"Please tell me you didn't." she pleaded. I shook my head.

"No. I dialled it down two levels." I replied. She nodded.

"Thank god." She sighed. "Hey, where is Adam anyway?"

"He said he had to not do something." I replied. She frowned.

"Not do something?" She repeated. I nodded. "Oh, I hate it when he says that. Whenever he's 'not doing something', he's usually doing something that affects us."

"I know. But maybe this time will be different." I suggested. She sighed.

"I hope you're right." She told me. "Now come on! We're going to be late for class!"

Xxx

"Lunch time! Finally!" I followed Adam into lunch room. Bree and Jaden were out in the hall, chatting about the Athletics Award Ceremony thing that was happening next week and Mr. Lalonde had asked Calla and Leo to stay after class for something, so it was just the two of us.

I quickly grabbed a tray of food and walked towards the nearest table. I grabbed a chair, then sighed in annoyance. "Man, I always get stuck with the wobbly chair." I complained to my brother.

"Here, let me fix it." He offered, looking at the chair. "Hold my tray."

I took the tray from him and stood back as he reached for the chair. Instead of fixing it, he pulled the back part of the chair off with absolute ease. He frowned at it, then tossed it onto the table. "Adam!" I growled, realizing what was going on.

I could feel everyone's eyes staring at us. "Budget cuts, am I right?" I said loudly. "The evidence is all around us, people."

They seemed to accept the excuse and went back to their meals. I glared at Adam. "You maxed out your super strength, didn't you?" I demanded.

"Of course I did! Look who you're talking to!" he replied, grinning. I sighed irritably.

"This is so dangerous! You can't control your strength, and it can cause a ton of glitches. We have to change you back now." I said.

"Calm down. You're overreacting." Adam replied, setting his tray down on the table. He must have hit it harder than he thought, because the table's legs buckled and it crashed to the ground. Several students jumped out of their seats, the sudden crash taking them by surprise. "Okay, you can dial me down to a nine." Adam told me.

"Hey, are you guys alright?" Calla ran over, having heard the crash. She looked at the table, then at Adam, then at the crowd. "I can't believe that Principal Perry is allowed to use such faulty tables. I mean, there must be a school board policy against it. If you can't even place your food down on it without it breaking, it could be seriously dangerous." She said loudly.

The other students nodded mostly, a large number of them putting their food trays in their laps in case their table broke too. "What the hell, boys?" Calla hissed at us, dragging us out into the hall.

"He maxed out his super strength." I explained. She sighed.

"I should have known." She muttered. "Okay, you need to bring that down again. And make sure you put all the settings in correctly. You tend to forget when you're agitated. Then come find me. I need to talk to you." She ordered, gesturing at the door. I stopped her before she could walk away.

"Hey, is everything alright?" I asked. She nodded, a smile on her face.

"Absolutely. I'll talk to you later." She leaned forward and kissed me before skipping off.

Jaden's POV

"So…Bree…" I trailed off nervously. She grinned at me, looking up from her book.

"What's up?" she asked. I grinned back.

"Well, you heard about the Athletics Award Ceremony, right?" I questioned. She nodded.

"Yeah, it's for all the sports teams in the school board, right?" She replied. I nodded.

"Yeah, anyway. I got nominated for MVP for the football league." I told her. She grinned even wider.

"Oh my God Jaden! Congrats!" She exclaimed. I rubbed my head sheepishly.

"Anyway, we bought four tickets, one for each member of my family. But Calla can't make it, and I don't want to waste the last ticket…" I trailed off. Bree frowned.

"Wait, why can't Calla make it?" She asked. I shrugged.

"Some academic thingy. I don't really know. Anyway, we have one more ticket and since you're friends with a couple of us on the team, Isaac, Gaven and I, I thought that maybe you'd like to come?" I asked. She stared at me for a brief moment.

"Uh, sure. I'd love to!" she replied. I grinned.

"Sweet! It'll be so much fun!" I exclaimed. Leo came running towards us.

"Hey guys! Guess what?" he demanded, looking really, really excited.

"What's up?" Bree asked. Leo grinned and held up what looked like a concert ticket.

"I won that inventing contest I entered last month!" He grinned. "Well, technically, I tied for first place, but I still got a prize!"

"Congrats, Leo." Bree and I both said. "So, what did you win?"

"I got a ticket for the Young Scientists of California Fair." He replied. "It's this big science fair that features a lot of scientific discoveries and inventions. Not to mention, some of the newest video game technology is going to be shown off there."

"Really? It sounds awesome!" I grinned, but my smile fell as Principal Perry walked into the room.

"Morning, oxygen-hogs!" She greeted. Leo walked up to us.

"I wonder what she wants." He commented. I shrugged, looking at our principal.

"Time for another surprise locker inspection. Why, you ask. The superintendant says that if I'm going to accuse you little criminals of doing stuff I need evidence."

I sighed. Another inspection? These were starting to become a nuisance. "You! Lindsey!" Perry pointed at one of the girls in the hall. I recognized her as Lindsay, one of the girls in the drama department. She pressed herself against the locker, trying to hide it's contents. "You're up!"

Perry walked up to her and pushed her out of the way. She then started going through Lindsay's things. "Stuffed animal?" Perry chuckled, pulling out a small, stuffed lion. "What is this, your prom date?"

She tossed the toy onto the ground, much to Lindsay's horror. "Make up? You've already lost that battle, sweetheart." Perry tossed a pink bag onto the ground next to the stuffed lion.

"I'm tired of this!" Bree muttered suddenly. I glanced at her.

"Tired of what?" I questioned. She pointed at Perry.

"Of Principal Perry and her power trips!" She exclaimed. "How does she keep getting away with this stuff?"

"Just accept it." Leo suggested. "It's a lot easier once you let go of the hope."

We looked back at Perry, who was now eating some pretzel logs out of Lindsay's locker. She looked around, her gaze resting on Bree. "You're next, glow stick!" She decided, referring to Bree's bright yellow shirt. Bree jumped back, leaning against her locker defensively.

"I don't think so." She snapped. We all stared at her in shock. No one, and I mean no one, defied Perry. Ever. Well, there was that one time a girl named Kelly Tremblay refused to do something Perry told her to do. No one's seen her since.

"Bree, just let her see your locker!" I hissed. She shook her head, blocking Perry from accessing her locker. Perry eventually managed to push Bree away though.

"Principal Perry, this is not fair!" Bree exclaimed. "You walk around here like a dictator and treat the student body like prisoners!"

"Aww, you noticed!" Perry smiled. "It's so good to be appreciated."

"This is no way to run a school." Bree announced. "And I think that I speak for everyone when I say we're not going to take it anymore."

Not surprisingly, no one was brave enough to stand beside her. Perry looked at Leo and I. "And by we, she means her." Leo told her. "You and me, we're rock solid."

"I can't believe I'm doing this." I muttered before walking to Bree's side. "I'm not going to take this kind of treatment anymore."

"Are you two challenging my authority?" Perry demanded, looking at us. Leo ducked behind us.

"She's sweating through her pant suit. Retreat, retreat." He whispered. I wanted nothing more than to do exactly that, but Bree wasn't going to back down and it wouldn't be right to leave a friend along like that.

"Listen, I didn't command a ship in the merchant marines to take guff from you." Perry glared at us.

"You know, I just think the school might be a bit more enjoyable if we were treated like adults and had more freedom."

"Right, and then we could all ride unicorns to school." Sarcasm was dripping from Perry's tone. "And eat food that passes a health inspection."

"Well, that last one might be nice." I commented. "And Bree's right. It doesn't have to be like this."

"Oh, yes it does." Perry objected. "I learned one thing from my mother: to rule with an iron fist. Oh, and that salad takes us space where meat should be."

I didn't exactly argue with that last point. Seriously folks, salad is for rabbits. And I'm no rabbit.

"Your mother sounds like a lovely woman." Leo commented, still trying to get on Perry's good side.

"She isn't!" She snapped back. Leo quickly retreated and Perry faced us again. "You kids think my job is SO easy, don't you?"

"Well, how hard can it be? You do it." Bree replied with a smirk. By now, everyone in the school was staring at us with wide, shocked eyes.

"You think you can do better?" Perry mused. "Okay, alright. Have at it. The school's yours. You two can be principal and vice-principal for a day."

"What?" Bree looked at her in confusion. Didn't blame her for that. Did Perry just say what I think she said?

"Yeah, go ahead and be the nice principal." Perry replied. "These maggots will eat you alive in two hours. You could have used your last breath to scream for help, but you should have used it to say I'm sorry." Perry growled in our faces. I stepped away, my face screwed up.

"The only thing I'm sorry for is smelling how bad your breath is. Seriously, when's the last time you brushed your teeth? The 1980s?" I questioned. Bree smirked, then looked at Perry.

"Alright, you're on. But if Jaden and I are going to be the principals for today, we're going to need the keys to your office."

Perry looked at us, then pulled the keys out of her pockets. 'Alright, but remember," she said, handing the keys to Bree, "no matter how loud the banging gets in the filing cabinet, don't open it."

She walked away, leaving the rest of the school in the hall. "Well, Principal Bree, what do you want to do now?"

She smiled, then faced the rest of the school. "Okay, you guys heard what she said. I'm in charge now. My first job as principal is to make Jaden Parker my vice-principal." I nodded at the crowd. "Let's see…okay, classes start in an hour. Until then, have fun."

She started walking to Perry's office. "Come on Jaden. Let's go find out what's in the filing cabinet."

Chase's POV

"I can't believe you broke your capsule door." I muttered, watching Adam fix it. "And I can't believe you maxed out your strength after I specifically told you not to!"

"In my defence, you telling me what to do is like a hedgehog telling a monkey what to do. It's ridiculous." He told me. A grin broke out on his face. "But it would make an awesome buddy cop movie!"

"Can we just please get this over with?" I demanded. "I've got to get back to school. It's karaoke day in Latin class and I'm singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

He looked confused, so I gave him an example. "Sintella, Sintella, po la stella." I sang before giving a little bow. Adam just looked at me.

"You do realize that Calla's the only girl who'll ever want you, right?" He asked. I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, and Jessica has to cut your food, so we're even." I insulted back. He shrugged, not bothering to reply. "Get in your capsule."

"Alright, reducing super strength in three…two…one…" I quickly typed in the power levels that we wanted. The machine glowed again, then Adam stepped out.

"Okay, we should probably test our your strength to make sure it worked. Come here." I led him over to a large, silver bin. "This is made of ultra-strength titanium. Think you can break it?"

"Sure. Stand still while I smash it over your head." He replied. I sent him a stern look.

"No. With, your hand." I told him.

"Not as fun, but okay." He agreed. He punched the bin as hard as he could, but he didn't even dent it. He hit it again with the same results. "Ugh! I'm back to normal. Now I'm only a hundred times stronger than you. I guess I'm going to have to hit you more often to make up for it."

"You really don't have to." I replied, hoping that he was joking. Adam put a hand on my shoulder.

"That's sweet, but I really do." He told me.

"No, you don't." I replied, starting to walk away.

"Yes I do." He replied.

"No." I quickened my pace.

"Come here." He told me, starting to chase after me. I started running.

"Adam, don't touch me." Almost as soon as I said that, he leapt and pinned me to the ground. "Adam!"

Jaden's POV

"So, what do you think is in here?" I asked Bree, kneeling in front of the filing cabinet. Every so often, it would move and sounds would be made from it. I couldn't tell if they were whimpers or growls, but it was obvious that some sort of animal was being kept in it.

"I don't know." Bree admitted, handing me the keys. "But I bet you ten bucks that it's a cat."

I chuckled; that would sound like Principal Perry. "Let's find out, shall we?" I suggested, sliding the key into the lock. I unlocked the filing cabinet and opened it a tiny crack. My eyes widened. "Bree, it's not a cat."

"Then what is it?" She asked, trying to see the animal. I opened the filing cabinet drawer all the way and pulled out a small puppy. "Oh my god."

The puppy squirmed in my arms as I held it up to look at it. It was young, maybe a couple of months. It was a Labrador retriever with light, golden fur and large, adorable brown eyes.

"Give it here!" Bree demanded, taking the puppy out of my arms. "Aren't you the cutest thing ever?" She cooed. She looked at me. "Why would Perry keep this adorable puppy in a filing cabinet?"

"Why does she do anything?" I replied, shrugging. "What do you want to do with it?"

Bree's eyes lit up. "I'm taking him home with me." She decided. I didn't try and argue – she just looked so excited about the puppy, it was adorable.

"Hey guys?" Leo knocked on the office door.

"Come in!" Bree called. He did as he was told.

"You guys have to – is that a puppy?" he asked. Bree nodded.

"We have to what?" She asked. Leo grinned.

"Check it out." He led us into the hall. When we walked out, it was amazing. Everyone was having fun. People were playing music, blowing bubbles, chatting on their phones…it was incredible.

"It's only been half an hour, but look how much happier everyone is under Principal Bree."

"Well, that is just how I roll." Bree grinned and high fived Rebeccka as said girl walked by. "I mean, isn't it amazing how much happier and productive students are when they're given a little bit of freedom?"

"Let freedom reign!" I grinned, my fist in the air. Bree smirked and Leo looked down at the puppy still in her arms.

"Seriously though, where'd you get the dog?" he asked, scratching its head. "And can we keep him?"

Before Bree could answer, Perry came storming in. "What is going on here?" she demanded. "Stop talking on the phone! Spit out that gum!" She looked at Bree. "I thought I told you not to open that filing cabinet!"

"Hold him." Bree handed me the puppy, then looked at Perry. "This is my school now and you can't tell anyone what to do. Do you see how smoothly things are running and how happy everyone is?"

"I know; it's disgusting!" Perry growled. "All these smiling faces…I haven't seen this many teeth since I kept dental records at the morgue."

Bree smirked. "Sorry, Principal Perry, but I guess it is easy doing your job."

"Very easy." I agreed. Perry glared at me.

"Watch it, Parker." She snapped. I smirked.

"Correction. That's Vice Principal Parker to you." I told her. "And if I'm not mistaken, you're not allowed to be here unless you're student or faculty, so I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to leave, Terry."

I'd never seen her look so infuriated. "This isn't over!" She shouted. She started to walk away, but stopped when her phone started meowing.

"What? I'm at work!" She shouted, answering it. Her face immediately became apologetic. "Sorry mom, I didn't mean to raise my voice…yes, I've been a bad girl."

She walked off while we tried to stop ourselves from laughing.

Chase's POV

"I can't believe you made me late for class." I said to Adam, jogging over to my locker.

"Hey, when you zapped me, I think took a little bit of weight off." He told me, looking at his baggy sweater. I rolled my eyes and turned to my locker, opening it so I could grab my books.

"Adam, that's impossible. It doesn't work like that. The recalibration readjusts the ratio of your muscle mass to your body frame and…and who am I kidding? You stopped listening five seconds ago, right?"

Silence. "Adam?" I turned around to see that I was the only one in the hall. "Adam?"

"Down here!" A tiny voice called. I looked down at a pile of clothes, Adam's clothes. I knelt down, staring at the two inch tall Adam, who was standing inside one of his shoes. "I told you I was losing weight!"

"Holy crap!" I muttered, getting onto my stomach so he wouldn't have to look so high up to look me in the eyes.

"Chase, what's going on?" Adam demanded.

"I-I-I guess I was in such a rush to recalibrate your chip, I must have forgot to put in the size parameters, which caused a glitch and…"

"I'm two inches tall and naked!" Adam shouted, interrupting me. "Do something!"

"Umm…I'll be right back. Stay here." I ordered. I ran to the lost and found, trying to find something for Adam to wear.

I wasn't exactly looking where I was going though. "Hey!" Calla exclaimed as I ran into her, knocking her to the ground. "Where's the fire?" she questioned.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there." I apologized, offering her my hand. She accepted it and I helped her up.

"So, you fixed Adam?" she asked. I bit my lip nervously.

"Oh yeah. Everything's fine now." I lied. I know I should probably tell her the truth about shrinking him, but she already warned me to make sure I did it correctly and if she found out I didn't, I would never hear the end of it. "Hey, is everything alright with you?" I asked, changing the subject. "What was bothering you earlier?"

"It's really nothing." Calla replied. I looked at her. "Alright fine. Do you remember that inventing contest that I entered a couple of months ago?"

"Yeah, I remember." I replied. "Wait, did you win?"

She nodded. "I tied, actually. With Leo of all people. Anyway, instead of getting two tickets, we each got one. But I still got a ticket!" She grinned.

"Way to go! Those are all sold out." I said. "I'm so proud of you!"

"I know. I'm proud of me to!" She hugged me. "Anyway, I thought I should give you a heads up before I miss school for a week."

"A week?" I repeated. "But I thought the Young Scientists of California Fair was Friday to Sunday only?"

"Yeah, it is. But since it's a long, five hour drive there, I'm obviously not going to leave Friday morning. And my cousins Faith and Trev both have the week off because of a gas leak at their school, so I'm going to go visit them for a while."

"Oh." I replied. "Well, it's going to be boring without you in the lab."

"Yeah, who's going to stop Leo from destroying it?" She teased. I laughed.

"Can't you take him with you?" I pleaded jokingly. She grinned.

"So, why are you in the lost and found?" she asked. "I only came because somebody – Trent – stole my lucky baseball hat."

"Oh, I'm looking for…" I grabbed the nearest box and started going through it. I pulled out a purple ninja action figure. "…this."

"Since when do you play with dolls?" Calla asked, giving me a weird look.

"It's not a doll, it's an action figure." I retorted. She laughed.

"Okay, no need to get so defensive of your doll." She teased. "Anyway, I've got to go to history class. See you later."

"See you." I smiled at her as she ran off. I grabbed the action figure and ran back to where Adam still sat in his shoe.

"Here." I pulled the clothes off the action figure and handed them to Adam.

"It took you long enough." He exclaimed, pulling them on.

"I got talking to Calla." I objected. I sighed. "She's going to Seaford for an entire week!"

"Can't you live without her for a few days?" Adam demanded, pulling on the ninja shirt. I nodded.

"Of course I can, but it's going to suck because she's the only one in the lab who's smart enough to understand what I'm saying." I replied. I looked down at him and noticed that he was dressed.

"Alright, let's get you off the floor." I decided, picking him up by the back of the shirt. I put his clothes in my gym bag and placed him down on one of the books in my locker. Adam looked at his reflection in my cell phone screen.

"A purple ninja outfit Chase? Really?" he questioned. "You know purple's not my colour."

"It was from the lost and found! The only other action figure there was PowerGirl and you do not have the legs to work that skirt."

"Just hurry up and fix this. I can't stand being smaller than you." He complained.

"You know, I've been smaller than you my entire life. Now you know what it's like." I snapped. "Do you remember all the names you called me?"

"Not all of them, but there was Tiny Pants McGoo, Microman, Tinyboy, Antboy, and Little Woman!" He started listing them off. I glared at him, then noticed the thermos next to my math book. I smirked, grabbed it and covered him with the cap.

Muffled shouting came from under the thermos cap and I couldn't help but laugh. After a minute or so, I picked it up again. "Hey, what'd you do that for?" Adam demanded.

"I wanted you to see how it feels like to be picked on by someone larger than you." I replied. "But, since I'm a nice guy, now I'll take you home to fix you."

"Thank you Chase. That's really big of you," Adam told me. I smiled until he added "and I don't get to say that very often."

"You just can't stop yourself, can you?" I demanded, getting annoyed with him. He sighed.

"I'll try." He offered. "Um…You're huge…ly small. Oh, can't do it."

I nodded, smirking. "You know what? Forget home. We're going to have a little fun."

"No, no, no!" Adam tried to run, but really, there was nowhere to go. I grabbed him by the back of the shirt and lifted him out of the locker.

"You know that new tarantula in the science lab?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, Archie! He's great!" Adam grinned. My smirk grew.

"Well, let's see how great he is when he gets a surprise visit from a tiny, purple ninja."

"NO!" Adam screamed as I put him safely in my pocket. I grinned. This was going to be fun.

Jaden's POV

"The south and east halls are empty!" I called, running into the lobby. Bree jogged down the stairs.

"Same goes for the entire second floor." She told me. We'd gotten several calls about a half hour ago from every teacher saying that none of their students showed up to class.

"No one down in the north or west halls either." Leo called, running up to us. "Where is everybody?"

"Wait, do you hear that?" I asked suddenly. They stopped talking and listened. Surely enough, the sound of kids laughing and playing music could be heard coming from the cafeteria. We all looked at each other, then ran for the cafeteria.

We opened the door to see that there was a massive party going on. And right at the center of it, wearing some really unusual clothes, was Principal Perry.

Bree ran and turned off the music. "Principal Perry?" she demanded. Perry stood up.

"Who wants to know?" she asked. "The name's Terry. On the street, they call me TP, because I clean up."

"What are you doing?" Bree demanded.

"Never mind that. What are you wearing?" Leo pointed at Perry's clothing. She was wearing black pants, white shoes, a plaid shirt, a jean jacket, and a green and yellow hat with the letters TP on it.

"Well, the more I thought about it, it seemed only fair that if you get to be principal for a day, then I get to be a student for a day." She replied. "Since you're such a big fan of freedom, I thought I'd show you what it really looks like."

She looked at one of the lunch ladies, who was sitting in the corner on a chair with wheels, holding a large stick of break. There was another lunch lady on the other side of the cafeteria, in the same type of position. "Bertha, Ruby, saddle up!"

Both lunch ladies pulled on football helmets (where did they even get those? One of them had better not be mine) and then two other students pushed them towards each other. They were mimicking a joust. Ruby managed to knock the bread stick out of Bertha's hands, but it didn't matter because without anyone to stop them, both lunch ladies crashed into a wall.

Perry looked at us. "If they get hurt while you're principal, you're responsible." She reminded us. "Do you know what they do to principal's in prison?"

"You can't threaten me. Vice Principal Jaden, would you like to handle this one?" Bree asked. I grinned.

"I'd love to." I replied before turning to face Perry. I'd wanted to do this since I first started coming to this school. "You just got detention, Squatmug!"

"Do you really want to go there, knowing that I'm back to running this place tomorrow?" she questioned. That was enough to make me stop.

"Detention? What detention? You don't have detention! Please don't kill me." I pleaded. Bree smacked my arm, glaring at me. "What? She's a terrifying woman!"

"Weak." She muttered, before looking at Perry.

"So, are you ready to give up?" Perry asked.

"Not a chance. I'm not afraid of you, like some people." She gave me a look. "And because freedom is-"

Bree stopped as a large, baseball sized clump of mashed potatoes hit her in the head. Perry laughed as Bree reached up to touch it.

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you with all that freedom on your face!" she laughed. "Somebody get this girl some gravy!"

"Why, you little-" I grabbed Bree around the waist, preventing her from committing murder.

"Come on Bree. Let's go get you cleaned off." I hoisted her up over my shoulder so quickly that she didn't even have time to squeal in surprise.

"Jaden, put me down!" She hissed as I carried her into the hall. I ignored her and brought her into the principal's office. I finally put her down in the principal's seat and she glared furiously at me.

"Sit." I ordered before she could object. I walked out and grabbed a box of tissues out of the nearest classroom. When I returned, Bree was still sitting in her seat, glaring at me.

"I can't you believe you just did that." She muttered as I pulled a seat up beside her. I smirked and started to help her pull mashed potatoes out of her hair.

"What can't you believe? That I carried you out?" I asked. She nodded. "Well, I'm pretty sure that you'd get in some trouble if you killed Principal Perry. Besides, there are other ways to deal with people like her."

Bree looked at me. "Like how?" She questioned. I smirked and whispered my idea in her ear. "Jaden…that's genius!"

I laughed. "I know. I think my sister's rubbing off on me. Now, do you want to make the call, or shall I?"

"I'll do it." Bree grabbed her cell phone and I handed her the piece of paper with the number on it.

"Where'd you get the number, anyway?" She asked. I shrugged.

"I just checked the school computer earlier. It wasn't that hard." I replied. Bree smirked, then put a finger to her lips.

"Shh. It's ringing." She whispered, a devious look in her eyes.

Chase's POV

I grinned as I walked to the water fountain. This revenge on Adam was so much fun.

"Alright Adam. Are you ready for a water fountain germ bath?" I asked, reaching into my pocket to get him. To my shock and horror, I found nothing. "Adam?"

I started checking all my pockets, but he was nowhere to be found. "Adam? Oh no, Adam?"

"Why are you calling your pants Adam?" I turned around to see Calla standing there, a Labrador retriever puppy in her arms.

"Why do you have a dog in your arms?" I asked, unable to hide my confusion. Calla smirked.

"I'm puppy sitting for Jaden." She replied.

"Where'd he get it?" I questioned. She shrugged, scratching its head.

"I don't know." She replied. "When I asked him, he told me that he and Bree found it in 'the magical filing cabinet of doom' whatever that means. So, what's up?"

"I've got a problem. I accidently shrunk Adam, and now I can't find him anywhere." I informed her. She didn't even look surprised.

"I got your back. I was with you, you were with me. We were kayaking, no questions asked." She said quickly.

"No, he was in my pocket, but he fell out." I explained. "I lost him!"

"They'll never buy it, stick to the kayaking." She told me.

"I don't know where he is. He could be anywhere." I looked around, hoping that I would catch sight of him.

"Chase!" Calla grabbed my arm suddenly. "I think I just saw a tiny, purple ninja dive into that book bag."

She stopped. "Okay, there's a sentence I will never say again." She said. I rolled my eyes and ran towards the girl who owned the book bag, but she was already leaving, heading for the cafeteria. We ran after her. I grabbed her bag, ripped it off her shoulder, slammed it down on the table, and started to tear through it.

"Sorry m'am, random bag search." Calla explained to the girl who owned it. "There's been a lot of crotons stolen from the salad bar. We're not saying it's you, but we're all thinking it."

I grinned, suddenly seeing the purple shirt. I grabbed Adam and held him between my hands. "Got him." I hissed to Calla. I turned around to make a run for it, and almost ran into…Principal Perry?

"Dude! You almost made me spill my third lunch!" She complained. I decided it was better not to question it.

"Right, sorry." I apologized. Calla and I ran to the other side of the cafeteria. I opened my hands so we could talk to Adam and found…nothing?

"Where'd he go?" I demanded. Calla pointed over my shoulder.

"The burger." She whispered. Sure enough, Adam was lying down on Principal Perry's burger. We couldn't see him for long though, because Perry covered him with the burger bun.

"Adam, get out of there!" I shouted, but it was too late. Perry was already bringing the burger to her mouth. I ran forward and pulled the burger away from her face. She held on tight though.

"Braver men than you have tried to take my food before. They ain't men now." She growled at me. I pulled the burger out of my grasp.

"I won't let you eat my brother!" I snapped. She glared at me.

"You vegetarians make me sick!" She exclaimed. 'It's a turkey, not your brother! Now give me back that bird, hippie!"

She grabbed the burned, but I refused to let go. "No!" I shouted, trying to get the burger away from her.

Suddenly, Bree walked forward. "Drop the burger, Terry!" She ordered. I was so stunned that I let go of the burger. Perry still held onto it.

"Why don't I drop you, girly?" she asked. Bree just smirked.

"I had a feeling you might say that." She replied. "Which is why I brought in the big guns."

The cafeteria doors swung opened, a large, elderly woman standing in the doorframe. Jaden was standing behind her, a confident smirk on his face. "THERESA!" The woman shouted. Perry froze, a look of terror on her face.

"M-Mother?" she gulped. I looked at Calla.

"Do you know what's going on here?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Not a clue." She replied. I looked back at Perry and her mother.

"Mother, what are you doing here?" Perry questioned, sounding nervous. Her mom smiled.

"This lovely young lady and this handsome young man called me and said you were causing trouble." Her mother (let's call her Mrs. Perry) replied. "What did I tell you about wrestling for food?"

"That if you're going to do it, you'd better win?" Principal Perry guessed.

"Don't you sass your mother!" Mrs. Perry snapped, taking the burger from her. She placed it on the table and I reached for it, only for my hand to slapped away. "Hands off, troll!"

I was about to object, but decided against it. Mrs. Perry may be elderly, but there was every chance that she was as frightening as Principal Perry.

"I apologize for all the trouble my daughter's caused you." Mrs. Perry said to Bree and Jaden.

"They're not really in charge!" Principal Perry informed her mother.

"And you're not really a child, so stop acting like one!" Mrs. Perry shouted. I had to cover my laugh with my hand. "Theresa, what do you say to Principal Bree and Vice Principal Jaden?"

Principal Perry pouted for a few minutes, , but finally managed to get out a small "sorry."

"Big girl voice!" Mrs. Perry commanded.

"SORRY!" Principal Perry yelled.

"Please tell me someone's recording this." Calla begged quietly. Mrs. Perry turned to Bree and Jaden.

"I'm going to take her home and give her a good talking to her." She assured them. Bree nodded.

"I think that's a great idea." "It was such a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Perry." They replied. Mrs. Perry smiled at them, then grabbed Principal Perry by the ear and started dragging her out of the room. Before she left though, she grabbed the burger with Adam in it and tossed it into the garbage can.

"NO!" Calla and I shouted. I ran to the garbage can. Calla was beside me in a second, having given the puppy back to Jaden. One of the lunch ladies dumped a tray full of half eaten food into the garbage can. We stared at it, knowing that we'd have to go through it to find Adam.

"Thanks a lot, Ruby." I commented to the lady. She merely shrugged as Calla and I lifted the garbage can. Everyone was starting at us.

"I lost my retainer." Both Calla and I said at the same time. That just got us even more stares, so we decided to leave before it got worse.

Xxx

"This is so disgusting." Calla muttered, dumping a handful of gooey noodles into the other trash bag we'd brought down. "Oh, I found him!"

She pulled out a large stick. "No wait, that's celery. Never mind." She dropped it in the other trash can. "Wait…no. That's a chicken bone."

Suddenly, I managed to get my hands on something that was most definitely alive. "I found him!" I exclaimed. I picked him up, out of the trash and ran him over to the capsule. I dropped him in his and readjusted the settings while Calla started cleaning her hands with a clean rag. "Okay. Adam size parameter. Height: 6'1". Weight: 175 lbs. Strength: level 6. Clothes: yes please."

I hit the button and the capsule was encased in a bright white glow. When it died down, Adam was standing there, thankfully wearing normal clothes.

"Guys!" he grinned, stepping out of the capsule. "I just had the most amazing dream! I was a tiny purple ninja in a land of butt giants!"

"No Adam, that wasn't a dream. I accidently shrunk you." I told him.

"And for once, Leo had nothing to do with any of this. It's a once in a life time chance, actually." Calla commented. "Anyway, I'm going to go clean up. You can deal with the rest of the disgusting trash."

She walked to the elevator, muttering something about 'not getting paid enough to go through trash cans'. Adam looked at me.

"Wow, I think I finally understand what it feels like to be the smaller brother." He told me. I grinned; those were words I'd been waiting to hear my entire life.

"FINALLY! So, does this mean you're not going to make short jokes at my expense anymore?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, can you speak up?" Adam requested. "I can't hear you down there."

My good mood evaporated in a flash. "You just can not help yourself, can you?" I demanded.

"I'm just kidding!" Adam stopped me from walking away. "Look, I don't think you're that small. And for turning me back to normal, I got you a gift. Close your eyes."

He'd only been normal size for a few minutes now, so what could he have gotten me? But I decided to humour him and closed my eyes. A second later, he told me to open my eyes.

Dangling in front of me was the purple ninja outfit I'd give him. "It's a tiny ninja costume!" He exclaimed. I stared at him. "Oh, don't worry about the size." He told me, placing it on my shoulder. "You'll grow into it."

I glared at him as he walked away, laughing. I guess some things will never change.

Jaden's POV

"I am so happy to just be a student again." Bree grinned when she saw me. I nodded, sitting down on the bench in the lobby.

"So, how'd your parents react when they saw the puppy?" I asked. Bree smiled.

"Well, Mr. Davenport doesn't get home from his trip until tomorrow, but Tasha thought it was adorable. She said that as long as we all help to take care of it, it's ours. We're going to take it to the veterinarian's tonight to make sure it's got all of its shots."

"Have you named it yet?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Not yet. We're still trying to think of a name. Any suggestions?" She asked. Before I could answer, Perry walked into the lobby.

"Well, if it isn't the former administration." She greeted. Bree smirked.

"Well, if it isn't the failed administration." She responded.

"That was my dis! You only changed one word!" Perry objected. We rolled our eyes. "Now that I'm back in charge, I'm going to make your lives miserable."

"And how do you intend to do that?" I asked.

"I'm glad you asked. You two are going to spend the rest of the day cleaning the cafeteria." The janitor handed us each a mop before walking away.

"Jaden?" Bree looked at me. I nodded and pulled out my phone as she turned back to Perry. "I don't think so. We may not be in charge anymore, but we still have one thing. Your mother's phone number."

Perry's expression turned from arrogant to terrified as her mother picked up. I held my phone out for her to see.

"THERESA!" Mrs. Perry shouted. Principal Perry started running, Bree and I hot on her heels, laughing as her mother scolded her.


	13. Quarantined

Chase's POV

"So, how is it at your cousins?" I asked into my phone, walking down to the lab.

"Awesome!" Calla exclaimed on the other end. "We all went to the beach for some surfing action. Aw, I wish you could be here!"

"So do I." I agreed. Calla and Leo had both gotten invites to the Young Scientists of California Convention this weekend. While Leo was still here (the thing didn't start until Friday and it was still Wednesday night) Calla had convinced her parents to let her go early so she could hang out with her cousins for the week. It was kind of dull down here without Calla, but she sounded like she was having fun.

"So, has anything exciting happened while I was away?" Calla continued.

"Nah. Bree's been flirting with your brother, I got some homework done, Adam's playing with the puppy, and Leo's been using your computer to play Minecraft." I replied.

"I have not!" Leo glared at me from his spot by the table. Everyone was already in the lab. Bree was chatting on the phone with Jaden, Leo was doing stuff on the computer, Adam was playing happily with our new dog, and Mr. Davenport was dragging a large bin to the center of the room.

"Bree, Chase, phones away. We have mission stuff." Mr. Davenport ordered. I nodded.

"Sorry babe, I gotta go." I told Calla. I heard her sigh.

"Good luck on the mission." She said, obviously having heard what Mr. Davenport said. "Don't get killed and bring me back a souvenir!"

Chuckling, I hung up and shoved my phone back in my pocket. "So, what's the mission this time?"

"Well, I'm going to prep you on it first. Leo-" Leo cut him off.

"Mission Specialist Dooley," He corrected him, "will be adding a little more visual pizzazz to the usual snooze-fest." He pressed a button on the IPad and a fireworks show appeared on the screen. We looked at him, not impressed. "Hey, if you want a show, kick in the dough."

"Tonight, I'm sending you to gather intelligence." Mr. Davenport told us, trying to be serious. I couldn't help but smirk at Adam.

"Oh, you hear that Adam? You'd better bring a big basket." He just started blankly at me.

Leo hit a button his remote, and the screen on the computer showed a picture of a massive warehouse. "I was satellite scouting industrial sites when I found this warehouse that I think is a front for environmental criminals." Mr. Davenport explained. The screen changed again to show several barrels with green labels on them. "These barrels are full of toxic chemicals. They're expensive to dispose of properly, so they're probably just going to dump them into the sea."

"Which could harm ocean life and obliterate the coastline." Leo added. Suddenly, Bree laughed beside us. We looked at her to see that she was still talking on her phone.

"Jaden, you are so funny!" She giggled. I cleared my throat and she looked at me. "Chase, I'm on the phone."

"I'm sorry, what's going on?" Mr. Davenport questioned.

"She's talking to Jaden again." Adam complained.

"She's got this massive crush on the guy." I explained. Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes.

"Bree! Off the phone! Now!" He ordered. She sighed.

"Fine." She muttered, hanging up on Jaden. "Just tell us what you invented, what went wrong, and how long until it blows up."

We all looked at her. Just because 86% of our missions involved one of Davenport Industries' inventions blowing up didn't mean they all did.

"Look," Mr. Davenport got back to the mission. "the police can not bust these guys without evidence so I need you to bust in there and gather samples. Leo, show them the barrel."

Leo pulled a sheet off of a massive barrel that I hadn't noticed before. It looked identical to the ones in the picture. "Now, there is only one safe way to get the samples. And Leo," said boy cleared his throat, "Sorry, Mission Specialist Dooley will demonstrate. First, take the canister and attach it to the spout."

While he spoke, Leo showed us how to do it. "Push down and turn forty-five degrees to create an air tight seal. Then, pull the handle."

Bree started giggling again. She was texting on her phone and it didn't take a genius to figure out who she was messaging. "LOL Jaden."

"Bree!" Mr. Davenport shouted. She looked at him, annoyed.

"Why do I have to pay attention all the time?" She demanded. She pointed at each of us. "Strong, smart, fast. Let's just do this already."

She spun around, phone in her hands, and sped towards the door. Well, into the door. She bounced off the closed door and hit the ground with a thud.

"Bree, how many times have I told you no texting while super-speeding!" Mr. Davenport scolded. Bree twisted around to glare at him, then got to her feet.

"So, when are we leaving for this stupid mission?" She muttered.

"After school. I want everyone to be suited up and at that warehouse by four, do I make myself clear?"

We all nodded to make sure he knew we understood. Bree left the room quickly, probably going to go finish her conversation with Jaden and Mr. Davenport walked away, saying something about grocery shopping.

"Last one upstairs has to take Glitch for a walk!" Adam called suddenly, jumping out of his seat and racing for the door. Leo was right on his heels, but I didn't bother running after them. I was going to lose anyway. I looked down at the golden retriever sitting at my feet.

"I still can't believe we named you that." I muttered, scratching his head. As soon as the veterinarian confirmed that he was a male puppy, we'd started coming up with names. After a couple of hours, we finally decided on the name Glitch. It was Jaden's suggestion, and I guess it made sense since he and Bree found the dog, they got to name it.

Glitch just barked cheerfully, then ran for the door. I sighed and grabbed his leash off the table, then followed him outside.

Xxx

The drive to the warehouse was long. Really long. If Bree had been there to super-speed us, it would have only taken a few minutes. Instead, we had to sit in a car for four hours.

By the time we got inside, it was still just Adam and I. I walked in first, extremely cautious of guards or security perimeters.

After a few minutes, I managed to sneak into the main part of the warehouse. Adam walked in behind me, snacking on something. "You know, for a shady warehouse this place has a fantastic vending machine." He grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "Where is Bree?" I demanded. "If Mr. Davenport finds out that she's late for a mission, she's going to be in a big trouble."

While I spoke, I started getting out the gloves that we would need. Suddenly, Adam's phone beeped. He read the text.

"Oh, she just texted me. She's with Jaden. I love this game!" He started texting her back. "I'm with Chase."

He held out the phone so I could see and I hit it out of his hands in my frustration. "It's going to take forever to get these samples without Bree's help." I complained, handing him a canister from the bags. "Put your gloves on."

Adam held out his hands to show me that the gloves were already on. Suddenly, Bree sped into the room. "Hey guys, guess what?"

I looked at her, disapprovingly. She was supposed to be wearing her mission uniform, like the rest of us. Instead, she was wearing a white T-shirt covered in colourful tire marks.

"You had a collision with a poodle on a tricycle that works at a paint store!" Adam guessed excitedly. Bree looked down at her shirt, then at him.

"No." She replied. "Jaden got this for me when he went to the end of the school year carnival. He was trying to get one of those big, stuffed bunnies, but he ran out of money for tries, so he got this and gave it to me. Don't you like it?"

We didn't answer, but she got the message. "Whatever, I love it!"

"Hey, hey! This is serious." I reminded her. "You're late and you're not even in your mission suit!"

"Yeah, how are we supposed to know you're even on our team?" Adam questioned. Bree rolled her eyes.

"Can we just hurry this up?" she demanded. "Give me your gloves, stand guard and stay out of my way."

I sighed and handed her the gloves, if only to make her shut up. Adam and I both walked into the hall, just outside the door. My super-sensitive hearing picked up on Bree's annoyed voice.

"'Hey Bree, what did you do this weekend?'" She mimicked Jaden. "Oh nothing, just collected smelly chemicals with my stupid brothers. It was super fun."

I decided to ignore the stupid comment and the sarcasm. After a few minutes, I heard her call "Done!"

Adam and I walked back into the room. Bree threw the gloves at me. "Alright, I'm going back to Jaden. He said he wanted to teach me how to throw a football. Later losers."

She sped off, but not down the hall we'd come in. She sped down the one filled with motion detectors and alarms. "Bree, don't run that way or-" my warning shout was cut off by the loud alarms. "-set off the security alarm." I finished. "We have to get out of here."

I ran for the door, but Adam stopped to collect the canisters. Any other time, I would have been glad to see his dedication to the mission, but now was not the time to stop. "Forget it, let's go!" I ordered. Adam nodded, dropped the canisters and ran after me.

We quickly jumped into our vehicle, just as a few guards ran out. We drove away quickly, before they could catch sight of our faces. How could Bree be so stupid as to get us caught?

Bree's POV

"WAKE UP!" I groaned at the sound of Mr. Davenport's voice. "I want a complete debriefing of what went wrong last night without any giggling when I use the word debrief."

I opened my eyes groggily and stretched. Why did he have to wake us up so early? What time was it anyway? I stayed in my capsule for a few minutes, still trying to wake up. Adam and Chase were out of the capsules immediately however, and were already listening to Mr. Davenport's rant.

"Guys, you failed the mission!" He exclaimed. "What happened?"

I sighed, figuring that I should probably get up now and opened my capsule door. The second I did, a massive alarm blasted around me. "Get back in your capsule! Get back in!" Mr. Davenport shouted. I did as he asked, completely bewildered as to what was going on.

"The system is detecting a high level of contamination in Bree's capsule." He announced. I frowned, confused.

"What? That's ridiculous! How could my capsule be…oh…" Yesterday, when collecting the samples, I'd taken my gloves off to text Jaden back. I wasn't sure if I had closed the seal on the canister properly either. Either one of those things could have gotten me contaminated.

"Oh what?" Chase demanded. "What is 'Oh…'?"

"Duh, O is the second letter in the number 10." Adam replied, smirking.

"Bree, is it possible you were exposed to something toxic on the mission?" Mr. Davenport asked. I shrugged.

"It certainly was." Leo told him, looking at the IPad. "According to this, Bree's mission suit never left her capsule last night."

He pressed a button on the IPad and his voice came out of it. "Bu-bu-bu-busted!" It sang.

I crossed my arms, glaring at Leo for ratting me out. Mr. Davenport looked at me, ignoring my glare. "Why weren't you wearing your missions suit?" he questioned.

"I'll tell you why." Chase offered before I could get a word out. "Because she was out with Jaden. She showed up late, contaminated herself, and then set off the alarm."

"And you wonder why no one at school likes you." I commented.

Mr. Davenport sighed and looked at me. "Until I find out exactly what you were exposed to, the capsule should counteract the effects of your contamination, but you are quarantined until further notice." He told me. I stared at him.

"Quarantined?" I repeated. "But Jaden's award ceremony is tonight!"

"You are not leaving that capsule until Adam and Chase get back in that warehouse and find out exactly what you were exposed to!" His tone made it very clear; this issue would not be discussed further.

I groaned in annoyance and leaned against my capsule door. Chase turned to Adam. "After that alarm went off, getting past security's going to be even harder. How are we going to get in?"

Mr. Davenport walked over to the center of the room, a small device in his hands. He pressed a button and the air around him seemed to flicker before he disappeared. I stared at the spot he'd just been in, but apparently I was the only one who saw that happen.

"The same way I'm standing right here and you can't see me." Mr. Davenport replied. The boys turned around to try and find the source of the voice, but he was completely indivisible.

"How'd you do that?" Leo asked suspiciously. Adam gasped suddenly.

"He's a witch!" He exclaimed, almost sounding amazed.

"It's my new special, micro-projection technology." Mr. Davenport told us.

"Dude, I know witchcraft, and you're a witch." Adam replied.

"No, I'm not." The air flickered again and Mr. Davenport slowly became visible. He showed the device to them. "This device scans your environment and uses a matrix of light projections to create a virtual environment you can hide behind."

No one but Chase seemed to understand, but judging by my know-it-all brother's expression, Mr. Davenport's invention was pretty cool. Mr. Davenport disappeared again. "Ta-da!" He sang. Part of him appeared, almost as if he was leaning forward. "I invented it as a 3D modelling engine for space telescopes." He explained before going completely invisible again.

"Ah-ha! So he's a space witch!" Adam exclaimed. "Those are the worst kind."

It's worth mentioning that Adam really hates witches. A lot.

Chase's POV

Like I guessed, the warehouse was even more heavily secured than before. It was next to impossible to get past their new, high tech security system, but eventually, I managed to disable it.

However, I didn't take into account the guard that was waiting in the middle of the warehouse. I almost walked into the room, right into his line of view. I would have too, if Adam hadn't pulled me back by the back of my collar.

"Thanks." I nodded at him. "You distract the guard to give me enough time to scan and project the room image."

"How?" he questioned.

"I don't know. Throw something in the trash can to make some noise so he'll look the other way." I suggested. Adam looked around and picked up a metal chair, then looked at me for my approval. "No, not a chair. Something small."

"Got it." He agreed. He walked over and picked me up. I glared at him.

"Really?" I questioned. He set me down on my feet.

"I'm just kidding. About throwing you, not about you being small." He added. He held up a granola bar, then stepped towards the doorway. He tossed it towards the back of the warehouse, making the guard jump in surprise.

"What's that? Who's there? I've got pepper spray." The guard warned, holding up the bottle. He looked at it, then pointed it back at the air. "Make that breath spray."

He started walking towards where Adam's granola bar landed and we took advantage of the distraction. We quietly stepped forward and scanned the room with the device. It hid us almost instantly.

"This is so cool. He can't even see us." Adam whispered, shaking his butt at the guard. I hit him to make him stop, then looked back at the guard. He started walking around the room. We turned the device when we had to, always staying out of sight.

Seeming to believe that no one was there, the guard removed the breath spray's cap and sprayed a little in his mouth. He gagged the second the spray hit his tongue. "It is pepper spray!" he cried, running out of the room.

"Wow, that actually worked." Adam grinned, as if the pepper spray thing was part of our plan. I just decided to go with it.

"Alright, let's do this." I set the device up on a tripod so we wouldn't have to carry it the entire time, then pulled on the comm device. It was a new one – Leo's design – so it hadn't been tested yet.

"Foxtrot, alpha, pickle." I tested, using the first words that came to mind. "Are you receiving audio, Mr. Davenport?"

"Copy that, Pickle." I heard him say. "Okay, Bree said that the dangerous chemical she was exposed to came from a barrel with a green label on it."

"Copy that." I responded. I looked at Adam. "We're looking for a green label."

I looked around at the barrels. There wasn't a single one without a green label on it. "Yeah, Bree's not going to make it." Adam decided.

I sighed. There had to be something else we could do to identify the correct label. Suddenly, an idea came to me. "Wait a second. Bree said she wasn't wearing her gloves when she got contaminated. I've got her fingerprint stored on my database. I'll use my fingerprint recognition app to find a match."

"Good idea." Adam smiled as I activated my fingerprint recognition app. I located Bree's fingerprints on a nearby barrel within seconds.

"Yes! I found it." I ran to barrel, then read what it said on the label to Mr. Davenport. "It's called Neurothroxin. Is that bad?"

"Ahhh!" Mr. Davenport shouted on the other line. I felt a pit growing in my stomach.

"So bad then?" I guessed, hoping he would tell me otherwise.

"It's terrible!" He confirmed. "Exposure to Neurothroxin interrupts the connection between the brain and the muscles. There is no telling what it will do to her bionics."

"So what do we do?" I demanded. Mr. Davenport was silent for a minute.

"Well, I can synthesize an antidote, but you have to get me a sample." He said eventually. "And the effects become permanent after twenty-four hours, so HURRY UP!"

I wasted no time, already sealing a canister onto the barrel. But at the same moment, a weird glitching sound came from behind us. I turned to see the cloaking device shut off. "Dude, I think the battery just died." I told Adam. He went to check it out as I finished getting the sample.

I pushed him away, trying to reactivate it. "Give me that." He requested before smacking it several times. It didn't turn on, so he looked in the front of it to see if the light bulb was a problem. Apparently, that was a bad idea. The device turned on for a second, shining a bright, white light directly into his eyes. He stumbled back. "Ah! I'm blinded!"

Just then, the guard from before came running in. "Freeze!" He shouted, holding up his pepper spray. I backed up, getting into a fighting stance as he ran for help.

"Break-in at warehouse five!" he shouted.

"Oh boy." I heard Mr. Davenport mutter in my ear. The guard turned back to us.

"Adam, hit him with your super-strength!" I ordered.

"I can't see!" Adam reminded me.

"I'll tell you when to swing." I replied. The guard stepped forward. "Now!"

Instead of punching the guard like I thought he would, he hit me in the shoulder. The strength of the blow made me stumbled back. I hit some sort of barrel and caused it to open. I hit the ground with a pained groan as a freezing cold, icy mist started to pour out of the barrel.

"Adam, be careful! The floor is covered in ice!" I called, trying to push myself up. I slipped on the ice though and wasn't able to even get to my knees.

"What do I do?" Adam demanded.

"Run!" I ordered. He did as I asked, but ran in the wrong direction. He slipped on the ice quite ungracefully and landed beside me. "The other way!"

It didn't matter now though. There were several other guards running into the room by this point and there was no way we could escape. I activated my comm link. "Mr. Davenport, we could use some help."

"On my way." He assured me as two guards dragged me to my feet.

Bree's POV

"What's going on over there?" I demanded, leaning against the glass of my capsule. Obviously, something had gone wrong. Mr. Davenport was sort of freaking out a bit, which usually meant something was wrong. But I couldn't figure out what because I could only hear his end of the conversation and I couldn't see his computer screen with the live security feed.

"Adam and Chase got caught by some guards." Mr. Davenport told me, putting on his mission jacket.

"Are they alright?" I asked. He nodded.

"They weren't hurt. But I need to go bail them out." He told me. I nodded, an idea coming to my mind. He looked at me. "Leo's going to keep an eye on you. Do not leave you capsule. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir." I nodded. "Just go save their butts already!"

Mr. Davenport nodded and left the room. I didn't waste any time and sped out of the lab. I skidded to a stop in front of the Mission Creek Banquet hall, a smirk on my face. There was no way I was going to let Mr. Davenport's stupid rules stop me from coming to this event with Jaden.

xxx

"I can't wait until they start with the awards!" Jaden grinned. He looked really excited about this. We were sitting at his family's table in the awards hall, waiting for the banquet to finally begin. It was actually a pretty big place. It even had two floors. We were on the top floor because there was some art thing on the first floor.

"Were you nominated for any?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, MVP. But it's going to be between me and Kevin and Kevin needs to go down!" He muttered. I smiled.

"Well, I'm sure you're going to win." I assured him. "I mean, there's no way Kevin's a more valuable player than you."

"Thanks." Jaden grinned. He suddenly frowned. "Leo, what are you doing here?"

I turned around to see Leo walking towards us. Oh no, I thought. Why did he have to ruin this for me?

"Bree!" Leo called, running up to me. He looked at Jaden. "Hey, sorry to crash the party, but I need to talk to Bree."

Leo grabbed me by the arm and started pulling me towards the stairs. I dug my feet into the ground and stopped him by the staircase.

"Bree!" He exclaimed. "I can't believe you snuck out to see Jaden!"

"What's it to you?" I demanded. "It's my business who I sneak out to see!"

"Whatever." Leo shook his head, obviously not wanting to get into this argument. "You've had your fun, now Big D needs you to stay in your capsule. Let's go."

He grabbed my arm again and tried to lead me down the stairs. But I refused to move. "Leo, he is overreacting! I am perfectly fine! See?" I raised my hand to show him that it was fine. "I haven't had one single side effect."

Suddenly, I lost all feeling in that arm. It fell limply to my side. Leo looked at my limp arm, then at me. I smiled and tried to hide it by putting my hand in my pocket. "That…that's nothing." I lied. "See? I am trying to act casual so Jaden doesn't sense how desperate I am."

"It's not working." Leo replied. I was about to snap back a retort when one of my legs gave way. I grabbed the banister, holding myself up, but not before Leo noticed the change.

"I'm good." I assured him. He didn't believe me. And if those side effects continued to grow, I wouldn't be able to trick anyone soon.

Chase's POV

Today was SO not our best of days. The guards had handcuffed Adam and I to a pole and taken my comm link. Leo would not be happy with us losing that, but it wasn't our primary concern at the moment.

"Can you see yet?" I asked Adam hopefully.

"No, but you still sound short." He replied. I glared at him, silently asking if now was really the time for short jokes.

Meanwhile, the guard walked back to us. "So, who told you we were dumping chemicals into the ocean tonight?" He questioned. I smirked arrogantly.

"It was only a hunch until you just confirmed it." I answered.

"Oh, did I?" The guard sounded amused. But so was I.

"Yeah, you did." I replied.

"Oh, did I?" he questioned again.

"Yes, you did." I said again. He looked at me, then sighed.

"I guess I did." He admitted. Adam laughed.

"That guard's an idiot." He chuckled, facing the guard.

"I'm over here." I said from his other side.

"Oh." Adam was a little surprised. Suddenly, a very short man, a rather ugly one at that, walked in and strode towards the guard.

"You there. Release them." He ordered. "They're coming with me."

"Who are you?" The guard asked, confused.

"The boss sent me in. They call me the In-TERROR-gator." The man replied, smirking menacingly. "When I ask questions, I get answers."

He walked over to us and started fiddling with the handcuffs. "Alright you two," he said loudly "You're coming with me."

I tried to pull away. "Not without a fight!" I spat.

"Settle down punk!" The man yelled in my face. Then, in a secretive tone, he whispered "It's me, Davenport. Just follow my lead."

I looked at him. No one here knew who we were, so it's not like it could have been a trick. I felt the handcuffs release around my wrists and then a zap as Adam was released.

"Ow, that hurts!" he exclaimed, blinking hard. He grinned. "Hey, I can see again."

He turned to Mr. Davenport, and the smile fell from his face. "You liar! You're not Davenport!"

He smacked him in the face. As a result, his face flashed blue a couple of times and then was replaced by his real face. Adam looked at me, then him, then finally at the guards. They were all staring at us, a little surprised.

"Hello." Mr. Davenport greeted, nervously. Adam gasped and grabbed onto me.

"See? I told you he's a witch!" He shouted.

"I'm not a witch!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed. "I was wearing a cyber mask!"

The guards looked at us, suddenly furious. "Stop them!" The main guard shouted. They attacked us, one of the bigger guys coming straight for me. I blocked two of his blows, ducked under his kick, then kicked him in the chest as hard as I could. I dodged a couple more of his punches, then flipped him onto his back.

"Chase!" I heard Adam call. I spun around just in time to see my brother knock down a guard behind me. I nodded at him gratefully; I hadn't seen the guard.

We looked down at the guards, making sure they weren't ready to fight again. I guess one of us must have hit one of the barrels, because a rancid smelling gas quickly filled the air.

"Why do I even bother with safety briefs?" Mr. Davenport demanded, grabbing the canister. Adam just laughed.

"Briefs…ah, underwear." He chuckled. I rolled my eyes and pushed him towards the door.

"Let's just get out of here." I told him.

Bree's POV

Why does all the bad stuff happen to me? Seriously, why me? Right now, I was slumped in a chair, unable to even move my head. Leo was standing next to me, still chastising me as he had been for the past fifteen minutes. If it wasn't bad enough, I was already missing the awards too. Jaden must be looking for me by now, and I didn't want him to see me like this.

"Bree, Big D's gonna freak out. We have to go!" Leo reminded me. I did my best to glare at him, but it was kinda hard from this position.

"Leo, I can't even stand up! Everything is numb! Look!" I tried to stand up from my seat, but only managed to make myself fall out of it. I looked at Leo from my spot on the floor, defeated. "Just help me get out of here before it gets worse." I froze, feeling the numbness spread to my tongue. "It's worse!"

"What's happening?" Leo questioned, looking confused.

"The numbness spread to my tongue. I can't talk!" My words were barely coherent. Leo smiled.

"Finally, a positive side effect." He grinned.

"Leo!" I scolded. It didn't sound too harsh though, considering how hard it was to speak.

He sighed and lifted me off the floor. "Here we go." He carried me over to one of those chairs with wheels and dumped me on it. "I'm going to take you to the elevator, and when we get outside I'm going to upgrade you to a nice shopping cart, okay?"

He started wheeling me somewhere, presumably the elevator. Suddenly, we stopped. "Bree, what's wrong with you?" Jaden's voice asked.

"It's nothing." I tried to reply. Obviously, it didn't come out properly because Jaden knelt down next to the chair, looking at me with concerned eyes.

"It's a long story." Leo told him. He started moving me again, but stopped when another award was called.

"And the football MVP goes to…Jaden Parker!" The MC announced. Leo grinned.

"Way to go, Jaden!" He called, stepping back to let Jaden go get his awards. Suddenly, the chair started rolling again. It took me a second, but I soon realized that Leo must have accidently bumped the chair.

"Leo!" I tried to call. He didn't hear me. I was about to call his name again when I realize how close I was to the stairs. OH CRAP. I thought before both me and the chair went flying down the stairs.

"Ow! Ow, ow, ow!" I cried out as I tumbled down the hardwood stairs. Finally, after what seemed like forever, I hit the main floor. "Ow…" I groaned one last time.

"Bree!" Jaden and Leo both bolted down the stairs, the former pushing me into a sitting position. "Are you okay?"

"Ow…no…" I mumbled. Jaden looked at Leo, then at me.

"Okay, what is going on?" He demanded. Leo sighed.

"She got herself poisoned with toxic gas while she was on a mission, then broke out of quarantine just to come see you. Anyway, now she's paralyzed and can't move and I need to get her back to the lab ASAP." He explained quickly. Jaden nodded.

"Right. I'll help you." He offered. Leo glanced back up the stairs. I could hear them calling Jaden's name again.

"Dude, what about your award?" He asked. Jaden sighed.

"Right. I'll be right back. Don't move." He added, smirking at me. I watched as he ran up the stairs and stopped at the door. "Hey Kevin! The award's all yours!" He called before jogging back down the stairs.

"You gave the award to Kevin?" Leo asked, shocked. So was I. "I thought you two were like archenemies or something."

"Yeah, something like that." Jaden agreed. He slipped one hand under my legs, wrapped on my arms around his neck, and lifted me up bridal style. "No come on, Speedy. Let's get you home."

Chase's POV

"Where are they?" I demanded, pacing around the room. We'd come home half an hour ago to find the alarms on and Bree and Leo both missing.

"Maybe they…oh, there they are!" Adam exclaimed. I looked up to see Leo and Jaden walking into the lab, the latter carrying Bree in his arms.

"Bree!" I exclaimed. She didn't look so good. And what was up with that massive bruise on her forehead? Jaden saw my expression.

"Yeah…she may have fallen down a flight of stairs…" he explained, faking a smile.

"Leo! You were supposed to watch her!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed as Jaden sat Bree down on a chair, sitting next to her to keep her from falling.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Leo apologized sarcastically. "Somehow the fastest person in the world managed to sneak past me!"

Mr. Davenport gave him a hard stare, then picked up the syringe with the antidote in it. "Let's just hope there's enough time for the antidote to work." He muttered, giving Bree the shot.

Nothing happened for a few seconds. Then she let out a pained groan and her eyes fluttered opened. "Bree? Are you okay?" I asked.

She slowly lifted her head off Jaden's shoulder. "I feel funny." She murmured. She stopped, eyes opening completely. "Funny. Fu-nay. Funny."

"Oh just spit it out already!" Adam ordered, looking at her. She looked at him, wide-eyed and grinning.

"I'm cured!" she exclaimed. We all let out sighs of relief. Mr. Davenport smiled.

"Oh, it's such a relief. It'll be so much more fun to punish you now that you're HEALTHY!" He shouted the last bit. "What were you thinking? You could have put us all in danger!"

Bree sighed. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to be like every other girl and hang out with the boy…I mean, hang out with my friends." She corrected herself, glancing at Jaden. "What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is you're not like every other girl!" Mr. Davenport said. "You're part of a team and your decisions affect us all."

"Yeah, because of you, I had to go to an awards banquet!" Leo complained.

"Yeah! And I haven't eaten since two-thirty!" Adam agreed. I stared at them, wondering just how crazy they were.

"Also, on a lesser not, WE ALL COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!" I reminded them. Jaden looked at me.

"Wow dude, way to be a Debby Downer." He commented. I stared at him. Seriously? Mr. Davenport just ignored us.

"Look Bree, you can have a social life. Just don't let it interfere with your bionic life." He instructed. Bree nodded.

"I got it. From now on, when a mission comes up, it get's my full attention." She told him.

"Okay, good. I think we've all learned a very valuable lesson. So, who wants ice cream?" Mr. Davenport asked. We all started to get up, except for Bree. She nearly fell out of her chair, and would have if Jaden hadn't caught her by her arm in time. "Oh, right…it might take a little time for the antidote to get to the rest of your body."

"Why don't you guys get the food and I'll stick around to keep Bree company?" Jaden suggested. Adam and I were about to object (you didn't have to be a genius to figure out that he wanted to be alone with her) but Mr. Davenport and Leo pulled us out of there before we could.

"Oh, just let them have their alone time!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed. "She might focus more on missions once they actually start their relationship!"

"We don't know for sure that's what's going to happen." I objected. Leo looked at me.

"Do you remember what happened the last time we left two non-related people alone in the lab while the rest of us got ice cream?" he asked. I was about to ask what he was talking about, then it hit me. That was me and Calla.

"Right. Let's go." I replied, ignoring the redness in my cheeks. We walked out onto the main floor. Mr. Davenport, instead of going to the fridge, ran into the other hall. We got our ice cream and waited for him. He came back a minute later, carrying a large broom.

"Hey guys-" "WITCH!" Adam interrupted him, pointing at the broom. He looked at us, eyes wide. "How do you not see that he's a witch?"

Bree's POV

Jaden and I sat in the lab, awkward silence filling the air. After a few minutes, I finally spoke. "Jaden, I'm so sorry that you had to give up your award." I apologized. He shrugged.

"It wasn't that big a deal anyway." He assured me. I frowned.

"You worked so hard for it though." I objected. He looked at me.

"Bree, you're way more important to me than some dumb trophy." He told me. I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

"Really?" I asked. He nodded and grabbed my hands. It was only then that I noticed just how close we were.

"Of course. I could win a trophy again next year. It can be replaced. You can't." he told me. I smiled again and giggled. "Hey, I'm serious here."

"I know, it's just…that's so sweet." I murmured. He grinned and leaned forward. I stared at him in surprise, but his lips didn't touch mine. Not yet, anyway.

"Just tell me if you want me to stop." He whispered. He waited a moment, then kissed me on the lips. It was…too incredible to describe. He pulled away after a second, a smirk on his lips. Those perfect, perfect lips…

"Jaden…" I breathed, still a little stunned that he would kiss me, just like that.

"Bree, life's short. I like you. You like me. What have we got to lose?" he asked. I didn't answer right away, instead kissing him again.

"Nothing." I whispered as I pulled away. "We have absolutely nothing to lose."


	14. The Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to avoid confusion, I want to clarify that this entire chapter is a series of flashbacks to before the series began.

Calla's POV (14 months before The Lab Assistant)

"Jaden! Hurry up! We're going to be late!" I tapped my foot impatiently at the bottom of the stairs. It was the first day of school and I was excited. It was my first day of grade nine and that meant I was finally going to Mission Creek High School.

Last year, I'd been stuck in middle school the rest of my idiotic peers. Middle school was dull to say the least. But high school was sure to be more interesting. I would have more classes to choose from and I could take the more advanced classes to keep myself from bored.

"I'm coming! Geez, Cal. The school's not going anywhere." Jaden called down. I rolled my eyes. My brother had already been at the school for two years, so he didn't understand my excitement. Then again, Jay had never been much of a school person.

"Hurry up!" I called again. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. I pulled it out and smiled when I read the text message.

From: Caleb

Hey cutie. You excited for school? What are you doing after?

Caleb Jones was one of the coolest guys around. Over the summer, we'd started going out and it was really, really nice. Caleb wasn't a genius, but even when he didn't understand what I was talking about, he would pretend he did, just for me. Jaden didn't like him; he thought that Caleb's bad boy reputation was a problem. But I adored how tough he acted in public and how sweet he could be when we were alone.

Unfortunately, his parents had insisted on sending him to a different high school. According to them, there was something wrong with Mission Creek High's principal. They said she was violent and crazy. Although, they might just think that because that's what Jaden always says. Anyway, Caleb ended up being enrolled in Welkerville High instead of Mission Creek. It gave us less couple time, but we were both willing to adjust our schedules to make time for each other.

I sent Caleb a quick text back.

To Caleb:

I'm totally pumped :) And I've got a job interview after school.

The job interview was one of the most exciting things to happen to me so far. Donald Davenport was one of the world's most famous inventors of this age. I'd bought so many things from Davenport Industries over the years, including a cell phone tracking device (because I was always losing my cell), and fingerprint scanning lock (because I needed a way to keep my big brother out of my room) and a miniature EMP (because…well, they were cool, okay?). Anyway, Davenport had put an ad in the local newspaper that said he was looking for a new lab assistant. I, of course, jumped at the chance. My interview was tonight and I was super excited.

Caleb's reply came a second later.

From: Caleb

Oh, good luck with that. Have fun today. See you later, Cals.

I smiled at the nickname.

To: Caleb

Thanks and you have fun too. See you babe.

"I'm ready to go." Jaden came jogging down the stairs at that moment. I gave him a stern glare as I shoved my phone into my pocket and followed him outside the house.

"Why must you take so long in the mornings?" I questioned, following him down the street. "I thought girls were the ones that were supposed to take forever."

"Yes, but it takes time to get this masterpiece perfect." Jaden ran a hand through his hair. I laughed and pushed him playfully.

"So, what's the school like anyway?" I asked. Jaden smirked.

"Getting nervous?" He asked. I shook my head quickly.

"No!" I snapped. He rolled his eyes.

"It's not that big, and some of the teachers are pretty cool. They have a decent science department. You'll like that. Oh, but watch out for Principal Perry. She's terrifying."

"Why?" I frowned. Jaden looked at me.

"She's got the temper of a bull, the deadliness of a lion, and the strength of Godzilla." He told me, completely serious. I gulped. I really hoped I wouldn't run into her on my first day. Jaden looked up and smiled. "And here we are."

I looked up at the school. Okay, Jaden said that it wasn't that big, but it was much bigger than middle school. I immediately caught sight of my best friend Rebeccka.

"There's Becky!" I grinned, pointing. Jaden nodded.

"Alright, you guys catch up or do whatever you girls do together." He told me. "You can get your timetables at the main office. Try not to get lost, but if you do, find one of the guys and they'll tell you where to go."

"Tell me you didn't get your friends to play tour guides again." I pleaded. Back when I first entered middle school, Jaden had gotten his three best friends Trent, Evan, and Isaac to give me a tour of the school. None of them wanted to do it, and I didn't want it, so it was pretty awkward.

"No, I didn't do that again. But I was serious about asking them for directions." He told me. I nodded.

"Yeah, sure. See you later." I gave my brother a quick hug before rushing over to Rebeccka. She handed me a sheet.

"I grabbed your time table for you." She told me, handing it to me. I grinned and looked it over.

"Looks like we have math and English together. That's second and third period." I announced. She nodded.

"What's your homeroom?" She asked. I looked at my sheet.

"Drama with Mrs. Robinson." I replied. "What about you?"

"I have physical education with Mr. Hill." Suddenly a bell rang. I looked at my watch.

"Oh crap. Five minutes until class!" I jumped to my feet. "See you Becky!"

It didn't take me long to find the theatre room where the drama class was being held. I sat down in the front row, right next to a blonde girl. She smiled at me.

"Hey," she greeted. I smiled back.

"Hey." I replied. I looked at the stage. "So, what plays do you think we're going to be doing in drama?"

"I don't know. Probably a lot of Shakespeare. I'm guessing Othello, Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, or Julius Caesar." She replied. I grinned.

"I really hope we do Julius Caesar." I told her. She nodded.

"I know. It's one of the better plays." She agreed. "Oh, I'm Jessica by the way."

I shook her hand. "Calla. It's nice to meet you."

The rest of the day went on as normal as high school could be. Jaden, being the overprotective brother he is, insisted that I sit with him and the football players at lunch. So of course, I ignored him completely and sat with Jessica and Rebeccka.

After school, Jaden drove me to the Davenport Industries Main Office for my interview. "Good luck." He told me. "I'll be back in an hour."

"Alright." I watched him go. I turned back to the building, took a deep breath, and walked in.

I had to wait about fifteen minutes for my interview. Eventually though, the door opened. A tall girl with dark blonde hair stepped out. She smiled at the receptionist, who then called my name.

I walked into the office. It was fairly clean, probably from lack of use. The only person in there was Donald Davenport himself. He was sitting behind his desk, talking to someone on the phone. He did not look pleased.

"Adam, I don't care how small he is, you are not to throw your brother across the room." He was saying. I blinked, wondering what the hell could be happening on the other side of that phone call. "Just take the laptop and watch Sponge Bob on it or something! Listen, I have to go."

He hung up the phone with a sigh. "Sorry about that." He apologized as I took my seat.

"You have kids?" I asked curiously. He shook his head.

"It's complicated." He answered vaguely. I nodded, not wanting to bother him about stuff that didn't concern me. He looked at the papers in front of him. "So, you're Calla, correct?"

"Yes sir." I replied, smiling. He nodded and looked over my résumé.

"Straight As, all nineties in all the sciences." He mused. "Impressive. But I've got a few questions for you."

"Alright." I nodded. He asked me several questions. Most of them were the normal ones, like 'why do you want to work for this business?' and 'what's your greatest weakness?' but some of them were very unusual. At least three quarters of the unusual questions were about him, but the rest were even weirder. They included force fields and lasers and super speed and strategic planning. Nothing I had actually thought would be in the interview.

"Calla, one last question." He said eventually. I nodded, gesturing for him to go on. "How good are you at keeping secrets?"

I frowned, unprepared for the question. I assumed he meant keeping the details of secret projects hidden from other companies. "I'd say I'm fairly good at it. If need be, I'd be able to keep company secrets hidden."

Mr. Davenport nodded. "Alright. We'll be in touch."

I nodded. "Thank you sir." I replied before walking out of the office. I frowned, remembering his last question. What a weird way to end the interview.

Calla's POV (the next day)

"No! No! You idiot, pass it!" I shouted at the TV. It was football night, which meant that Jaden, the school's football team, Caleb and I were all sitting around my TV, watching the game.

"TOUCHDOWN!" All the boys in the room cheered loudly. My mom appeared in the doorway.

"Calla!" She called. I looked up from my spot next to Caleb. "Phone call."

"Be right back." I told Caleb. He kissed me on the cheek and I picked up the phone, entering my bedroom for more privacy.

"Calla speaking." I greeted.

"Calla, this is Donald Davenport." I froze. No way. No way. NO WAY!

"Oh, hello sir." I tried to hold back my excitement until he said the actual words.

"I guess you know why I'm calling." He chuckled.

"I got the job?" I guessed.

"Yes. You were the best applicant for the job. Congratulations."

"Yes!" I let out a tiny squeal, covering the phone with my hand. Then I spoke into again, trying to sound business like. "Thank you sir."

"When can you start?" He asked. I grinned.

"Is tomorrow good?" I asked.

"Be at the office by four." He instructed before hanging up. I was grinning when I walked back into the living room.

"What was that about?" Caleb asked, pulling me into his arms. I grinned and laid my head on his shoulder.

"I got the lab assistant job!" I exclaimed.

"Good. You deserve it." He told me before lifting my head and kissing me. I kissed him back, then after we broke apart, I returned my head to where it had previously been.

"I wonder what it's going to be like." I murmured to myself.

Calla's POV (8 months before The Lab Assistant)

In the months that followed that phone call, I ended up working by myself more than with Mr. Davenport. He usually only came into the office on Tuesdays, the rest of the time being spent at home. I had to admit, I found it a bit odd, but it did give me a long leash. So long as I got all my work down before he came to check on it, I could do whatever I wanted. This usually meant that I would help some of the designers test the new products. Which, by the way, was pretty awesome. Except for the occasional fire. That wasn't so awesome.

But I still wondered why he spent so little time at the office. Sure, he could get more work done on his own, but the office had more equipment than he likely did. I suspected that the only reason he hired an assistant was so that I could do all the office work for him.

It was alright though; I didn't mind. Sure it wasn't what I was expecting, but hey, it was something. And I was learning a bit, I guess. Which was good. Not to mention, I had a fifteen percent discount at the gift shop. They didn't have much there, most of the items having Mr. Davenport's face on it, but they did sell some of the less dangerous inventions.

Then about six months after I started working as his assistant, things started to change. Mr. Davenport started coming into the office more, giving me bigger responsibilities. He took more of an interest in my work, and even told me about many of his own projects. I learned a lot more about the man too. There were three things that caught my attention the most.

One, he was very self-centered. He LOVED to talk about himself. Two, he was single and dating online. He mentioned a woman a couple of times. Tasha or something. He sounded like he was really into her. Three, he had a great interest in combing technology and biology. Seriously, he really wanted it to happen. Whenever he wasn't talking about himself, we were debating the pros and cons of what he called 'Bionic Super Humans'. Honestly, they sounded more like they belonged in a comic book, but if it could be real, that would be awesome.

One day, just as I was getting ready to leave, he stopped me. "Calla, I want you to come here for work tomorrow instead of the office." He told me, handing me an address. I frowned, reading it.

"How come?" I asked curiously.

"I've got a project I want to show you." He looked around. "Just remember what you said about keeping secrets."

I looked at him, trying to decide it I should be concerned or excited. Unfortunately, I was a little too curious for my own good. "Yes sir. I'll be there." I promised.

The next day at school went by pretty quickly. Some new students were introduced: Kieran Moore, Aster Grey, Leo Dooley, Kayliegh Wright, and Kaitlin Mulligan. I didn't really pay much attention to them, although I think Jaden had a thing for Kaitlin. So, we invited Kaitlin to join Jessica, Rebeccka and I at lunch. She seemed very…intense, but a little nice.

"Okay, why would the guy want you to come to his house after school?" Jaden questioned, pulling into the driveway. I shrugged, looking up at the large house. It was massive. Quite impressive too. But I guess all millionaires would have a house like this.

"No idea." I replied, climbing out of the car. "I'll see you later."

He gave me a confused look, but drove away. I looked up at the house once more before knocking on the front door.

Chase's POV (8 months before The Lab Assistant)

"Is it my turn yet?" I questioned again. It was a Friday, which meant that it was ping-pong night. Mr. Davenport hadn't come down to the lab yet – he said he was waiting for someone – so right now, Adam and Bree were hogging the ping pong table.

"Not until I beat Bree!" Adam replied, ducking as our sister shot the ping pong ball over his head. I sighed and picked up my laptop, intending to find something to do. Adam was never going to beat Bree. She always cheated.

"So, Mr. Davenport, what is this project you've been working on?" We all froze, an unfamiliar voice coming from inside the lab. "And why did you keep it a secret from me?"

A girl walked in, an actual human girl. Not Mr. Davenport, not a robot. We were stunned. The girl was pretty, with long brown hair. Her blue eyes swept over us as we stared at her. Who was she? How had she gotten down here?

Mr. Davenport walked up behind her, an amused smile on his face. He'd been in a better mood lately, ever since he started dating that Tasha woman. The girl turned her head slightly to speak to him, but her eyes never left us. "Uh, who are they?" she asked.

Mr. Davenport's grin grew. "Remember how I mentioned to you that bionic hero idea?" he asked her. We all stared at him. He was telling her our secret? I thought no one was supposed to know about us. That's why we weren't allowed out of the lab.

The girl nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. You said something about them being able to do the jobs humans can't. The ones that are too dangerous or impossible without special abilities." She replied. Then she stopped as it hit her. She turned to us, eyes wide. "Wait, you already started on them? Not fair!"

She sounded so annoyed that she didn't get to work on our bionics with him. It was actually kinda funny. Mr. Davenport, however, didn't find it so amusing.

"It's totally fair. My lab, after all." He started to argue with the girl. She shrugged, her eyes lit up with amusement.

"Fine, fair enough." She agreed. She glanced at us. "But I think keeping children in your basement is kind of illegal. You are aware of that right?"

Adam, Bree and I looked at her, wondering if she was considering turning us in. I hoped not. Mr. Davenport didn't look too worried though.

"Yes, I'm aware of that." He replied. She shrugged.

"Alright, cool." She replied. "But why are you telling me though?"

That question was on all of our minds. "I need you to babysit them tonight. I'm going out." He replied. We all groaned. We did NOT need a babysitter. But luckily for us, the girl didn't look too keen on the idea either.

"I'm not a babysitter." She told him seriously.

"You're still getting paid for overtime." He told her. She grinned.

"Babysitting? I LOVE babysitting!" She exclaimed. I rolled my eyes. Some people would do anything for money. "Oh yeah, so where're you going? An awards banquet? A Nobel Prize award show? A date?"

Mr. Davenport smiled. "The last one. I'm going to meet my girlfriend, Tasha Dooley, at that new restaurant tonight." He replied. He checked his watch. "And I have to get going."

"Okay, bye Mr. Davenport!" The girl called as he left the room. She turned to us and we had a long, awkward stare down. It was weird, having another person in the lab. And I could tell she didn't really know what to do either.

Eventually though, the girl broke the silence. "Just so you know, the last time I tried to babysit, I lost the kids. Hopefully, this will work out better."

We looked at her, trying to decided how serious she was. She was trying to look serious, but the grin on her face gave her away. I looked at my siblings. Both of them seemed unsure of how to proceed, so I took over. "My name's Chase." I introduced myself, holding out my hand. "This is my sister, Bree, and my brother, Adam."

"ABC, huh?" The girl joked, shaking my hand. "The name's Calla. I'm Davenport's assistant."

Adam looked at her, sizing her up. "Yeah, he mentioned you. But why are you babysitting us? You're our age."

Calla shrugged and sat down in my seat. "No clue. Probably wants to entertain me instead of sending me home." She replied. I didn't think that was it. I'd overheard Mr. Davenport talking to Eddy earlier. He'd said something about wanting us to get some social experience with someone our own age. Something about how it would be good for us.

Calla looked around, curiosity in her gaze. "So, what do you guys do for fun around here? If you say Yahtzee, I'm gonna lose it." She asked. Bree frowned.

"What do you have against Yahtzee?" she asked. Calla sighed.

"It's a really long story that involves broken windows and me being grounded for an entire week." She replied. "Oh, and my brother ended up with a black eye."

We just looked at her. She sighed. "Okay, so what do you want to do? Because if you guys don't have any ideas, I'm going to check out all the cool technology he has down here. I've never seen half of it before. It all looks so cool!"

Bree groaned. "Oh no! It's a female Chase!" She complained. I sent her a glare.

"And why is that such a bad thing?" I demanded. Calla laughed.

"It was just a joke. Relax." She told me. "Now seriously, let's actually do something!"

"Like what?" I asked. She glanced towards the ping pong table.

"You guys any good?" she asked, picking up a paddle. I smirked.

"Let's find out, shall we?" I suggested, grabbing one for myself.

We ended up playing a sort of tournament. I won, like usual, but Calla came in a close second, with Bree in third and Adam in fourth. After we played that, Calla ordered a pizza, and we watched a movie on the laptop. It was almost eleven o'clock by time Mr. Davenport got home.

"How was your date?" Bree asked as he walked in. Mr. Davenport grinned.

"It was amazing!" he exclaimed. He glanced at Calla, who was currently trying to toss a piece of popcorn into Adam's open mouth. Her aim wasn't that good, so the ground around them was littered with the salty treat. "How much do I owe you for tonight?"

She looked at the clock on the computer. "Sixty…almost seventy bucks." She replied. She got up and stretched. "God, is it really that late? I'm gonna call my mom or brother for a ride."

"Wait, you're going to come back, right?" Bree demanded. Adam nodded.

"Yeah, you has to! You promised that we'd watch that X-Men movie collection!" He whined.

"Well, it depends…" Calla trailed off, looking at Mr. Davenport. "Can I?"

"Yes, but not all of it's going to be fun. You have to work, you know. That means supervising training, helping with my inventions, and doing chores." He reminded her. She just grinned, her pearly whites shining.

"That actually sounds pretty cool. Well, except for the chores, but I'm totally in!" She exclaimed. Adam, Bree, and I exchanged smiles. Something told me that this girl would make our lives very interesting…

Chase's POV (1 month before the Lab Assistant)

"Wow, this is tenth grade math homework?" I questioned, looking at the textbook Calla had brought for me. "I'm sorry, but don't you guys do anything more advanced?"

"Well, we're not all geniuses like you." Calla replied, picking up another order form. Mr. Davenport had given her a pile to go through while he went to his 'extra-special' date with Tasha. Why it was extra-special, no one knew, but he sure seemed excited.

Anyway, we were all hanging in the lab like usual. Bree was going through Calla's old magazines, Adam was playing video games on the main computer, and I was watching Calla work.

It'd been a long time since Calla had first come down here. A long, long time. It had been a little weird at first, seeing someone else down here, but eventually I got used to it after I realized she was here to stay. I actually thought she was going to leave at first. I mean, why would she want to spend all her time down in this lab? She could be outside, having fun instead of sitting down here with us.

But she stayed, so I guess that meant she did like it down here for some reason. I highly suspected that reason was us.

Anyway, in the time that Calla had been our friend, we'd learned a lot about her and the normal world. She told us everything about it, whether it was a boring history class, or that time she went to the beach with her family. I learned that she'd been dating this guy, Caleb, for a long time and that she really, really liked him. She was in the tenth grade, and she had an older brother named Jaden. Her mom was a police officer for our town, and according to Calla, one of the best. Her father was a military man and was currently stationed overseas.

"So, Calla, how are things between you and Caleb?" Bree asked suddenly, looking up from her magazines. "He still acting weird?"

"He's been acting weird?" I asked, looking at the girl. She shrugged and grabbed another sheet.

"Sorta…I guess. He's just really distant right now. I don't know why." She replied with a sigh. "But then again, his dad has been trying to get him into the family business lately too, so maybe he's just really busy."

"Yeah, that's probably it." I agreed. She shrugged again and went back to work, only looking up when Mr. Davenport skipped in. And yes, I said skipped.

"Well, someone's in a good mood." Adam commented. Mr. Davenport grinned and leaned against the holo-table.

"Guys, I have a very important announcement to make." He declared. We looked at him, curious. "I'm getting married."

We all sat there, stunned. "M-married?" Bree gasped. "To Tasha?"

He nodded. "Congrats, man!" Adam applauded. I grinned.

"Yeah, that's awesome!" I exclaimed.

"Yes, congratulations, sir." Calla agreed. He smiled back, but Calla felt the need to ruin the moment with logic. "But does she know about these guys?"

"Um…no. Don't tell her." Mr. Davenport ordered. We all looked at him. Even Adam seemed to realize what a bad idea keeping this a secret was.

"But, she's going to find out eventually. I mean, you can't keep the lab a secret from her. You're almost always in here. And if she finds out about the lab, she'll find out about them." Calla pointed out. Mr. Davenport gave her a hard look.

"I'll deal with it when the time comes." He decided. "But until then, you're going to zip it, understood?"

Calla nodded silently, pretending to zip close her lips. "Good. Alright, so it's planned it three and a half weeks." Mr. Davenport continued. He started telling us all about the wedding plans. It seemed useless – it's not like we were going to be able to attend – but I think he was nervous and when he was nervous or excited, he never stopped talking. Bree did the same thing, except when she was really nervous, she spoke at super speed and you couldn't understand her.

"And Calla, I'm going to need you to pick up the slack around here for the next few weeks." Mr. Davenport finished, looking at her. She nodded, checked her phone, and stood up.

"Sure, of course." She agreed. "But not tomorrow. Tomorrow I've got a party to attend."

"Who's party?" Bree asked as Calla grabbed her laptop and her bag.

"I'm going to my cousin's. It's her birthday party." She replied. "Anyway, see you guys!"

Chase's POV (The day the Lab Assistant begins)

"Check." Calla announced, moving her queen so that it threatened my king.

It had been about a month since Mr. Davenport announced that he was getting married and a lot had changed. He was gone more (we hadn't seen him for the past week because of honeymoon and wedding planning) and Calla was down in the lab more. The latter was mainly because she broke up with that guy she was dating. I didn't know the full details, except that she was really upset when she came back the next day. That's also around the same time I taught her how to play chess. I figured it would give her something to distract her mind. It worked a little too well. She was really good.

"Um…" I looked at my pieces. I moved one of my pawns so that it blocked her queen. "Your move."

Anyway, chess had become a habit of ours now. Adam was off looking for his IPod – he lost it. And Bree was going through his IPod, trying to figure out what type of music he had on it. So that left me and Calla, bored out of our minds.

"Hey, nerds!" We turned to see Eddy on the main screen.

"What do you want Eddy?" I sighed.

"A, Calla asked me to give her a reminder when she had to leave." He replied. Calla checked her watch.

"Oh crap. I didn't even realize the time." She got up and grabbed her laptop. "I'll kick your butt at chess next time, Chase."

"In your dreams." I teased back. I looked at Eddy. "Was there something else?"

"Oh yeah, Donny's back. He brought Tasha," you could tell by Eddy's tone that he didn't like Tasha, "and her twerp of a son."

"She has a son?" I asked. Eddy's response was to show us. The kid was short, maybe fourteen years old, with black hair and dark skin.

"Yeah, he's a twerp." Calla agreed jokingly. "Wait a minute…"

"What's up?" I asked. Calla frowned.

"I think he goes to my school. Yeah, I'm pretty sure he transferred a few months ago. The football players are always picking on him." She remembered.

"That must suck." I mumbled. She nodded.

"It does." She agreed. "Anyway, it'll be cool to have him around, seeing as we both go to the same school. We might end up having something in common."

"Right." I agreed, just for the sake of it. Honestly, I wasn't sure about this kid. I mean, what if Calla spent more time with him than us? Who were we supposed to hang out with? It wasn't like anyone else knew about us!

"Anyway, I will see you guys tomorrow. I've got to go." Calla waved at me before heading towards the elevator. I watched her on Eddy's monitor as she talked and smiled at Leo and Tasha before leaving. Not for the first time, I wondered what this marriage would do to our lives and how it would affect us.


	15. Three Minues Bree

Calla's POV

"So, has Jaden figured out what he's going to do?" Chase asked me as I sat down next to him on the bench in the school lobby. I shook my head, frowning.

"No, not yet. He's really frustrated about it too." Two days ago, Jaden had received an international scholarship. It was easily the most amazing thing that ever happened to him. The catch? He had to go study in Australia.

So many things were complicating his decision. This was the opportunity of a lifetime. It likely wouldn't come again and this was a one-time offer. But his friends, family and home were here. Not to mention, he only just started a relationship with Bree. Speaking of whom…

"So, where's Bree?" I asked, looking around. "I wanted to know how she's dealing with it."

"I don't know where she is now, but she was really upset about it before." Chase replied. "She wants Jaden to take it because it's an amazing opportunity, but at the same time, she doesn't want him to leave."

I nodded. "Yeah, I know the feeling. I can't imagine my big brother living on the other side of the planet."

"Oh, there she is." Adam offered, pointing at the office. Bree was walking towards us, a smile on her face.

"Hey, did you guys know that our school has a study-abroad program?" she asked, eyes a lit with excitement. Adam frowned at her.

"Why would I go to another country to do something I don't do here?" he questioned. We all smirked, but Bree didn't let Adam's question interrupt her train of thought. She handed us the sheets she was holding.

"Look. It says you get to spend a whole semester at a high school in Australia, and guess what! It's the same school that Jaden got a scholarship to!" She exclaimed. That explains the smile.

"So, are you going to apply?" I asked. She nodded.

"I already did!" She grinned. Leo chuckled suddenly.

"Hey, didn't Kelli Porter go last year?" he asked me. I suddenly remembered that.

"Oh yeah! She got sucker punched by a kangaroo!" I laughed. That had been an amusing story. Adam grinned.

"Well alright! I guess we're going to Australia!" He exclaimed. Bree looked at him.

"Uh, no, no, no. This is my thing. I mean, I can finally have some independence! I can study, travel, be with Jaden…" she sighed happily, clearly enjoying that fantasy. Unfortunately, Chase had to ruin it for her.

"I hate to be a wet blanket…" he began.

"No you don't." Leo cut him off. Chase stopped and looked at him before turning to Bree and continuing.

"But Mr. Davenport is never going to let you do this. You can't go on missions if you're halfway across the world." He reminded her. Bree wasn't deterred though.

"Sure I can. I mean, I haven't figured out all the details yet, but there's got to be a way to make it work." She said hopefully. Leo sighed and stood up.

"Not unless these two can unlock a new ability to make up for you not being here." He told her. Adam gasped.

"Well, maybe I can unlock an ability where I can disappear and then reappear somewhere else."

"You mean geo-leaping?" I suggested. He nodded.

"Yeah that!" He grinned. "Let me try."

He pushed his fists out, eyes closed, and let out a grunt of exertion. We watched this, hoping that no one else noticed. He opened his eyes a moment later, then glanced at us. "Did it work?"

Chase smiled. "You didn't do it long enough. Try it again, but this time more grunting."

I rolled my eyes, but Adam did as Chase said, closing his eyes and grunting even louder. Chase grabbed me by the arm and the four of us quietly snuck to Adam's other side.

Adam opened his eyes a second later, and looked around. He saw us standing on his other side, grinned and started cheering. We high-fived him, deciding to let him believe he could geo-leap for a few more minutes.

Bree's POV

"So, do you know what you're going to do about your scholarship?" I asked Jaden. We were at my house, sitting on the couch and playing with Glitch. Chase was messing around with his guitar, Calla working at the table next to him, and Adam and Leo were playing some video game.

"Honestly? I don't know." Jaden sighed. "Australia's so far away. Everything would be different."

"But it would be an amazing experience for you." I pointed out. Jaden raised an eyebrow at me.

"You want to try a long distance relationship?" he questioned. I smirked.

"I might have an idea where we can still be together." I murmured. Before he could question this, Mr. Davenport walked into the room.

"Hey, is there something you want to tell me?" he asked. Adam and Leo paused their video game and Adam stood up and walked over to Mr. Davenport.

"Look, we all like you, but we think Tasha could have done better." He declared before heading into the kitchen. Mr. Davenport ignored him and looked down at me.

"I just got a phone call that said you've been accepted to study in Australia?" Mr. Davenport looked at me for an explanation. Jaden's eyes widened.

"What?" he gasped in disbelief. "You're going to Australia too?"

I smiled back at him, then looked at Mr. Davenport. "Did they mention what day I'm leaving?"

He rolled his eyes. "You're not going." He informed me.

"Why?" I demanded, jumping to my feet. Glitch whimpered at the sudden movement and ran off into another room.

"Come on Bree, it was obvious." Chase commented, putting his guitar down. "Even Adam saw that one coming."

Adam didn't even look up as he rummaged through the fridge. "No idea what you're talking about, already moved onto cold cuts."

Mr. Davenport ignored them. "You can't abandon the team." He told me. "What if Adam and Chase picked up and left for a month?"

"Then I'd have one less reason to go to Australia." I replied. Both boys looked at me, insulted. "And I wouldn't just be abandoning you guys!"

"So what would you do if they needed you for a mission?" Leo questioned. I gestured at Calla.

"She's got that one figured out." I replied. Calla looked up from the small device she was working on.

"Not quite." She corrected. "It's not done yet, but I've been working on a Geo-Leaping bracelet. When it's done, the wearer should be able to teleport anywhere they want."

"Where'd you get that idea?" Jaden questioned. Calla gestured at my brother.

"Adam." She replied. Mr. Davenport looked at her, then back at me.

"Although that would help, that's not the only issue." He told me. "What about your bionics, your training? Your capsule?"

"Mr. Davenport, this is really important to me." I said. I could tell, however, that he wasn't interested in having this conversation. "Can't we at least discuss it?"

"We just did." He snapped. "You're not studying abroad, end of conversation."

He walked away without another word. I glared at him as he went. "This is so unfair!" I exclaimed. Adam smiled at me reassuringly.

"Don't worry Bree, I'll get you to Australia." Adam took my hand, then crouched down and made a grunting noise, as if he was trying to Geo-Leap again. I pulled my hand away from his, pretty upset.

Suddenly, a pair of hands was pulling me back to the couch. Jaden put his arm around me, and started whispering in my ear. "You know, we could try a long distance relationship."

I looked at him. "You think that's going to work for us?"

Jaden nodded eagerly. "Yeah, totally. We could set up Skype, text every day. And since the time difference between here and Australia is exactly a day, we won't have to wake each other up at three am just to say hi."

I laughed at that, glad that we were going to try and make this work. But Mr. Davenport's attitude was still bothering me. Why was he always trying to control my life like that?

Calla's POV

"Hey Leo." I greeted as the younger boy walked into the lab. He grinned at me and sat down at his desk, pulling out some tools and some sort of device.

"Hey Calla, are you still working on that Geo-Leap bracelet?" he asked. I shook my head.

"I finished that hours ago. This is something way cooler." I replied. Leo raised an eyebrow at that, curious. "Check it out."

He walked over to my desk and took a look at the designs on my computer screen. "You remember those bionic upgrades I was working on before Douglas blew up the lab, right?"

"Yeah, but you said they weren't finished." He replied. I grinned.

"Well, they are now. Well, three of them are." I replied. "I was thinking that we should give Bree pyrokinesis since she really needs something offensive. In a small, enclosed space her superspeed's not going to be too much help to her. Chase can have the telepathy because it works well with his big brain and that leaves the invisibility for Adam."

Leo nodded, then gave me a wary look. "You really want to give Adam invisibility?"

I thought about it. "Yeah…maybe I should think of something else."

"Good idea." Leo agreed, going back to his seat. I looked over at the device in his hands.

"So, what are you working on?" I asked curiously. He held the device up so I could see it better. It looked like a small pill.

"I'm repurposing one of Big D's old projects to impress him with my tech skills." He explained. Suddenly, Eddy popped up on the screen behind Leo.

"I hear the midget is failing with Davenport's ideas." Eddy declared. I bit back a laugh as Leo glared at him. After a moment, Leo turned back to me, having decided to ignore Eddy.

"He created a neuro-transmitter to help diagnose medical symptoms." He continued. He glanced at Eddy. "The software is based on your smart home system."

"Well, we know you're good at one thing." The smart home system commented. "Stealing."

"It's really cool!" Leo exclaimed. "You just swallow this pill and it attaches to your cerebral cortex. Then it diagnoses the problem and sends the report to my computer."

"Wow!" Eddy exclaimed sarcastically. "Who needs doctors when they have a fifteen year old crackpot with a magic pill?"

I bit back a laugh. "Uh, Leo? As much I applaud your enthusiasm, I would leave the medical stuff to the doctors. You don't see me trying to cure the common cold or anything, do you?" I questioned. I looked over his shoulder as Tasha walked down the hall. "And speaking of the common cold, how are you feeling Tasha?"

The poor woman looked terrible, to be honest. She sighed. "I think this cold is getting worse."

Leo's eyes lit up. "Fantastic." Tasha and I just stared at him. "How would you like to try out my newest invention, the Smart Body System?"

Tasha didn't seem to like the idea. "Oh, no. I'm not a guinea pig."

Eddy chuckled. "No, you're a different kind of-"

"Shut it!" Tasha snapped, shutting him up. Leo glanced at Eddy, then at Tasha.

"Oh, come on Mom. This," he held up the pill, "will let you know if this is just a cold or something more serious."

"Leo, I don't want some weird gadget floating around inside my body. You don't know anything about medical stuff."

"Well, I don't have to. Big D made the technology." Leo replied. "It'll only take a few hours to work, trust me. It's totally safe."

Tasha took the pill from him and turned it over in her hands. "I don't, Leo."

"Okay, I get it. You don't believe in me." He declared. Tasha smiled at him.

"Thanks for understanding, sweetie." She said. Leo looked seriously offended.

"MOM!" He exclaimed. She sighed.

"Okay, fine." She put the pill in her mouth and swallowed it whole. Leo grinned.

"Oh, and by law, I'm obliged to inform you of the possible side effects: headache, nausea, hair loss, random twitching…you know what?" He reached behind him, grabbed a large book and placed it in his mother's hands. "It'll just be faster if you read them."

He walked away cheerfully while Tasha looked at the book fearfully. She glanced at me. "He was…joking about the random twitching, right?"

I shrugged. "Maybe, but probably not. But I don't think that death's a possible side effect, if that helps." I offered before going back to my work.

Bree's POV

I grinned, skipping into the living room. It was rather late, both Calla and Jaden having gone home hours ago. Adam was watching TV, Leo was AWOL, Chase was working on homework, or Mr. Davenport was making himself a cup of tea in the kitchen. "Hey guys!" I exclaimed. "Guess who got invited to the Imagine Dragons concert tonight?"

"Oh! Brandon Delaney?" Adam guessed. I should really stop asking him to guess things.

"Me!" I replied. "Kaitlin doesn't want to go alone because she's totally devastated!"

"Why is she devastated?" Chase asked, concerned.

"Her boyfriend dumped her! Isn't it awesome?" I shouted, doing a little dance. Mr. Davenport walked over to me.

"Bree, I'm sorry, but you can't go." He told me, absolutely ruining my good mood. "I have to extract your bionic chips tonight for a critical performance modification."

"Can't we do that tomorrow?" I begged.

"No, I'm gone all day with a new product launch." He informed me before sighing. "Look, I wish I could go to the concert too, I get the whole rock and roll thing."

"People who get the rock and roll thing, don't say 'I get the rock and roll thing'." Chase pointed out. We ignored him.

"Come on, Mr. Davenport! Can't I just-" I tried to object, only to be shot down.

"I'm sorry Bree, but you can't go." He told me before walking away. The room was strangely silent as my brothers waited for my reaction.

"Being bionic is ruining my life!" I exclaimed, furious. "I can't go to the concert, I can't go to Australia, I can't do anything!"

"You can go get me some juice." Adam offered unhelpfully.

I sighed and made up my mind. "No. You know what? I don't care." I spun around and headed for the door. "I am going to that concert!"

I heard Chase calling after me as I left, but I ignored him, slamming the door to make a point. I was done letting Mr. Davenport tell me what I can and can not do.

Calla's POV

"I can't believe you're actually leaving." I sighed, reaching for some popcorn. Jaden and I were sitting on either ends of the couch in the family room, watching the new movie How To Build a Better Boy. (1)

"I can't pass this up. Not even for Bree." Jaden sighed. I smiled before tossing a piece of popcorn at him. I was aiming for his open mouth, but instead hit him in the forehead.

"I'll give you my old laptop to use for Skype and email stuff." I offered. "Remember? It's the backup laptop that didn't blow up with the rest of the lab."

"Oh yeah. Thanks." Jaden grinned at me. I smirked and continued.

"By the way, can I do stuff to your bedroom while you're gone?" I asked casually. He looked at me suspiciously.

"Like what?" he questioned. I shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm thinking about turning it into an office or something so I can take some of my work home with me." I replied. Jaden considered it.

"You can't paint anything pink." He instructed. I nodded and tossed another piece of popcorn, missing his head entirely.

"You have terrible aim." Jaden commented. I was about to object when my phone got a text. I stopped attacking my brother with popcorn long enough to check it.

From: Leo

Help me. Eddy is inside my mother.

I didn't even bother to question it or text him back; I mean, with the amount of trouble Leo gets into on a daily basis, nothing surprised me anymore.

I picked up a final piece of popcorn. "I'm getting this one in." I declared before tossing it. It landed with perfect accuracy, right in Jaden's pie hole.

He swallowed it and looked at me. "Chase?"

I shook my head. "No, Leo. He needs my help." I started to get up, but then I realized that I didn't want to leave the very comfy, very soft couch. "I'll help him tomorrow."

Bree's POV

This was easily the most embarrassing day of my life. Not only did my idiot brothers rat me out, Mr. Davenport came to the concert looking for me. Then he just had to jump on stage in front of everyone!

"I cannot believe you went to the concert when I specifically told you not to." He shouted as we stormed down into the lab.

"I cannot believe you jumped on stage and begged every member of the band to sign your T-shirt!" I argued back. Mr. Davenport glanced at Adam and Chase.

"I most certainly did not." He told them, before turning to me. "I got all of them, didn't I?"

I raised an eyebrow at him and he got back to shouting at me. "Look, that's beside the point. You are in big trouble."

I glared at my brothers. "Thanks for selling me out guys!"

"You have no idea what we went through! He grilled us!" Adam objected. Mr. Davenport looked confused.

"I said 'Where's Bree?'." He reminded him.

"At the concert." Adam replied instantly. "Oh man! He got me again!"

I stared at him, wondering how it was possible for any living thing to be so stupid.

Mr. Davenport looked at me sternly. "Because of you, we are three hours behind. Now the modification is going to take all night." He gestured at my capsule. "Go get in your capsule so I can extract your chip."

I bit back a complaint and did as he asked. "I don't know what has gotten into you lately. You can't just do whatever you want whenever you want." He told me. I sighed.

"Trust me; you have made that abundantly clear. My life is not my own." I replied. The lights in my capsule turned on then and I winced as I felt the bionic chip being pulled from my neck.

Eventually, the lights stopped. I took the chip from the extractor and stepped out of the capsule and placed in Mr. Davenport's hand. He put it down on the computer consol next to him. "All I want is a little control over what I do." I told him, trying to continue this discussion.

"While you're part of a team, that's not going to happen." Mr. Davenport replied.

"So that means I have to give up my entire life because of it?" I demanded. Mr. Davenport looked at me like I was crazy.

"Yeah." He replied, walking over to the other computer. Suddenly, I had a thought. It was stupid and reckless and idiotic, but as far as I could see, it was my only option.

"Well, if being bionic is going to stop me from having the life that I want, I don't want to be bionic anymore!" I reached for the nearest object, a heavy canister. Chase looked at me, following my train of thought.

"Bree, what are you doing?" he was trying to make me think about my decision. But if I thought about it any longer, I wouldn't have the guts to do it. "I'm getting my freedom."

And with that, I gripped the canister and smashed it down on the chip. "Bree, stop!" "No!" "Don't!" They all shouted, but it was too late.

The chip was in pieces, completely destroyed. Everyone stared at it in shock and horror as I took a shaky breath. I did it. I really did it.

After a moment, Mr. Davenport finally got over his shock enough to speak. "What did you do?" he demanded.

"Well she smashed-" Adam started to explain, but was cut off.

"I know what she did!" Mr. Davenport shouted. He looked back at me. "How could you do that?"

"Well she picked up that-" Adam tried again.

"I got it!" Mr. Davenport yelled. He sighed and looked back down at the chip, gathering the tiny, cracked pieces in his hands. "You have no idea what you've done."

"I know exactly what I've done." I replied, head held high.

"Ooh." Chase and Adam murmured in that somebody's-in-trouble tone of theirs.

"Then you know you've made the biggest mistake of your life." Mr. Davenport countered.

"Ooh." Adam and Chase said, even louder this time.

"Help me find the rest of your chip so I can try to fix it." Mr. Davenport ordered. I shook my head, not moving.

"You know what? No." I replied.

"Ooh!" Adam and Chase, again.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Davenport demanded. But I didn't waver under his glare.

"I said no." I stated calmly.

"Adam, Chase? Can you guys leave us for a moment?" Mr. Davenport's eyes didn't leave my face as he spoke. "I need to speak to Bree alone."

"No, stay." I offered before looking at Mr. Davenport. "There's nothing left to talk about."

And with that, I walked upstairs, head held high. I was NOT going to regret this decision.

Chase's POV

We all watched in silence as Bree walked away. I looked at Mr. Davenport. "Don't worry, Mr. Davenport." I assured him. "I'll go talk to her."

To my surprise, he shook his head. "No. If she doesn't want her bionic abilities, she's off the team." He decided, walking away.

Calla's POV

When I walked into the Davenport household the next morning, I was greeted by a horrific sight. Tasha was standing in front of Leo, wearing…I can't even describe it. It looked like she just threw on whatever she could. As for her face, it was covered in lipstick and her hair poked out at random spots.

"Oh my god, what did I just walk into?" I questioned. Tasha looked at me.

"If it isn't nerd number 2." She said in Eddy's voice. "Doesn't Tasha look great?"

"Um…" I looked at Leo, but he was just as shocked as I was. Luckily, Eddy didn't wait for my answer.

"Being human is awesome! Not only can I get sweet revenge on Tasha, but I can also do this!" Eddy grabbed Leo's head and started giving him a noogie.

"Eddy, sit!" I ordered. For once, he did as he was told, jumping up onto the counter.

"You need to act normal." Leo instructed. "Act like my mom."

"So, like an insufferable nag? Got it." Eddy nodded. Suddenly, Adam walked into the room.

"Hey guys. Calla, when did you get here?" He asked. Leo and I looked at Eddy, then at Adam.

"Hey Adam!" We rushed to distract him. It suddenly occurred to me that I had no idea why I was helping Leo or what exactly he did. "I just got here. How are you?"

Adam frowned at my eagerness, but didn't comment on it. "Well, my word of the day calendar says 'elaborate' so I guess I'm elaborate."

I tried not to laugh at the irony. Before either Leo or I could say something, Adam looked over our shoulders. "Tasha?"

Leo and I turned to see Eddy holding a bottle of what I think was salad dressing. He laughed. "You look great." Adam complimented. Eddy grinned and started to open the dressing bottle.

"Whoa, Mom. You can't have A Thousand Island Dressing. It makes you sick." Leo reminded him. He nodded.

"Violently." He agreed before drinking straight from the bottle. Even Adam found that disgusting. Eddy finished off the bottle in a few seconds, then slammed it down on the table. "Delicious."

We stared at him, then suddenly, his hand reached for his stomach. Then, he ran to the sink and started losing his lunch. We watched in silent disgust.

"Hey Leo?" Adam asked. "What's going on?"

"Yeah, I'd like to know that too." I agreed. Leo sighed.

"Alright, it's a long story but I made a pill, my mom took it, and now Eddy's trapped inside her body." He explained. Adam nodded after a second.

"Meh, it happens." He decided. I grabbed Leo's arm.

"Adam, we have to run down to the lab to fix this. Just stay here and don't let him out of your sight, got it?" I asked. He nodded.

"Okay." Leo and I ran downstairs to the lab. Leo began working on the solution to his problem, while I started going through the original software to find any flaws. Suddenly, Bree came skipping down to the hall.

"Leo, I just had the most awesome day!" she exclaimed, looking at her step-brother. Unfortunately, said boy was busy trying to fix his Tasha mistake. "Now that I don't have bionics, I can do whatever I want whenever I want."

"Kinda busy here. Can I get a rain check on caring?" Leo asked, not looking up. Bree ignored him.

"I'm just so glad to have the chance to know what it feels like to be normal. This morning I was supposed to meet Kaitlin. I was an hour late!" Bree continued, sounding proud of herself. "She's not talking to me. It's awesome!"

She looked at Leo for some sort of comment. He spared her a glance. "It's a little bit early to cash in that rain check."

Suddenly, Adam came strolling into the lab. "Hey Calla? Did you tell me to keep Tasha here or let her go out?" he asked, sounding confused. Leo and I froze, then looked at him.

"Keep her here." I said again. Adam sighed.

"Could have gone either way." He said. Leo's eyes widened and he ran for the elevator. I was about to follow him when Mr. Davenport walked back into the room, followed by Chase.

"Heads up, I just got a mission alert. There's a five alarm fire at a chemical plant and the response teams can't contain it. Suit up." Mr. Davenport ordered. The boys ran for their capsule and I sat myself down at my computer, bringing up a satellite feed of the chemical plant in question. "We have to get ahead of this thing before it spreads." Davenport continued, putting on his jacket.

"Chase, you'll want to use your scanners to find anyone who's trapped inside." I instructed, going over the blue prints of the building. "Adam, lock down the compound while he's rescuing them."

"I'll come along and try to help anyway I can." Mr. Davenport told them, putting on an ugly pair of white sunglasses. Together, with the jacket, it looked terrible.

"You can come on the mission, but not dressed like that." Chase decided.

"Yeah, the fire's already a tragedy. Don't make it worse." Adam agreed.

"Just go!" Mr. Davenport ordered. The boys ran out the door.

"What about me? What can I do?" Bree asked suddenly. Mr. Davenport stopped and sighed, taking off his sunglasses.

"Nothing. You're not on the team anymore." He informed her before running after Adam and Chase. Bree watched them go, obviously upset.

"Hey, it'll be fine." I assured her. She nodded, sitting down in the chair next to me.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right." She agreed softly.

Bree's POV

I tapped my foot impatiently against the floor, waiting for my brothers and Mr. Davenport to come back from the mission. It was taking a long time, too long in my opinion.

For the first couple of hours, Calla tried to cheer me up. She had told me embarrassing stories about her brother, offered to play virtual ping pong with me, and we even watched Leo on the security cameras. From what we could tell, Eddy (who was apparently in control of Tasha's body) had left the house and had completely ruined Tasha's reputation. That was amusing for about ten minutes, but then we both lost interest.

"They should be back by now, right?" I asked, looking at Calla. She calmly typed away at her computer.

"They'll be back soon, Bree." She assured me. I glared at her.

"You've been saying that for the past hour." I complained. She nodded.

"Yes, and you've been annoying me for the past hour, so we're even." She replied, looking up. She suddenly smiled. "Oh, and look behind you."

I turned around to see Mr. Davenport walking up behind me. "You're back." I couldn't help the relieved smile. "Where are Adam and Chase?"

"They're putting their gear away." Mr. Davenport replied, his tone short.

"Oh, I was starting to get worried. You guys were gone forever." I commented. "Let me guess: Adam tried to transport you guys home by closing his eyes and grunting?"

Mr. Davenport wasn't amused by the joke. "Actually, Adam was quite helpful." He started to walk away as my brothers entered the room.

"Hey guys, how was the…mission?" I trailed off slightly at the looks on their faces. It wasn't just the anger that bothered me. They were covered in dust and soot.

"It was terrible." Adam complained. "You know, I was thinking about having my next birthday at a chemical plant, but now I just…I just don't know."

Calla walked up behind me, carrying a couple of wet cloths. She handed one to Adam. "Nice job." She commented before taking Chase's hand and pulling him to the couch. I sat down at her desk and watched as they had a conversation. And although they were obviously trying to be quiet, I could hear them perfectly.

"How bad was it?" Calla asked, handing him the cloth. He began to clean the soot off his face.

"We rescued everyone, but the mission took twice as long. We barely made it our alive." He told her. I winced at those words, especially since he was glaring at me the entire time he spoke.

"Chase…" Calla murmured. I stood up, interrupting her.

"I'm sure it wouldn't have been much better if I'd been there." I commented. Chase stood up.

"Actually, it would have. If you had been there, your superspeed could have created a vortex that would have put out the fire instantly." He told me. "Congratulations Bree. I hope that being normal was worth it."

He kissed Calla's forehead before heading to his capsule. "I'm going to bed." I heard him say to Mr. Davenport before closing the door. Adam followed suit.

"Don't worry about it Bree." Calla told me before heading upstairs herself. I sat back down in the chair, left alone with nothing but my thoughts.

Calla's POV

"Mr. Davenport?" I called, running after him. I caught up to him before the elevator doors closed.

"Yes?" he asked, obviously tired.

"She feels bad about what she did." I commented, hitting the up button. He nodded.

"I know." He agreed.

"You can't kick her off the team permanently." I told him. He nodded again.

"I know." He pulled a box out of his pocket and handed it to me. I opened it and found several small, black and blue shards on the inside. I smiled.

"This is what's left of her chip." I realized, handing it back to him.

"I'm going to try and rebuild it as soon as she apologizes." He told me. I nodded.

"So this is more of a guilt thing than anything else?" I guessed. He nodded.

"Yep." He agreed. The elevator doors opened and we stepped onto the main floor. "Tasha, you would not believe the day I've had…"

He stopped, looking at Tasha. She was still looking exactly like she did early, which was to say, crazy. "Yours looks like it was worse." He commented. I frowned at Leo.

"Leo, why are you holding a razor?" I question. He looked down at it.

"Long story. We gotta go." He declared. Mr. Davenport and grabbed Eddy's arm.

"Where are you going? Can't I at least get a goodbye kiss?"

Eddy pressed himself against the door. "You wish!" he shouted. "Get away from me, peewee!"

Mr. Davenport stopped, then looked at Leo. "Was that Eddy's voice?" he asked, sounding much calmer than I expected.

"No." "Maybe." "You betcha!" We all said. Eddy began dancing around, laughing.

"Leo, what did you do?" Mr. Davenport demanded, absolutely furious. Leo smiled guiltily.

"I put Eddy into a pill and gave it to my mom and now he's controlling her body but I also got a B in French so let's focus on that!" He grinned. Mr. Davenport looked at Eddy, horrified.

"Tasha, are you in there?" He begged. There was a moment of silence.

"Yes, and I only married you for your money so dump me now." Eddy said. Mr. Davenport was not amused.

"Eddy!" he scolded. Eddy laughed.

"Oh relax! The old bag is fine." Eddy assured him. "But not for long! Face plant!"

Eddy leapt forward, landing on his face. "How could you do this Leo?" Mr. Davenport questioned.

"Are you really that surprised?" Leo countered. Eddy got up and started towards the stairs.

"I'm going to go jump off the roof!" He announced. We raced to stop him before he killed Tasha.

Xxx

We finally managed to keep Eddy still, Leo and I forcing him to sit on the couch. Mr. Davenport had a large device in his hands. "This is my nasal extractor." He informed us.

"Why did you create a nasal extractor?" I asked, curious.

"Why does Adam keep shoving things up his nose?" Mr. Davenport answered.

"Continue." I replied. Mr. Davenport hesitated.

"Wait, this baby really packs a punch. I don't know if I can use it on her." He worried. Leo pulled the mask part of it out of Davenport's hands.

"I can." He shoved it onto Eddy's mouth, despite his objections. Mr. Davenport turned it on and Leo and I struggled to keep Eddy from struggling. Eventually, the pill flew into the nasal extractor and out of Tasha. "Yes!" Leo grinned.

Tasha stood up and looked at her apparel while we looked at her, guilt written all over our faces. "Tasha?" Mr. Davenport checked.

"What happened?" she demanded in her own voice. She did not look happy. "Who did it?"

Leo pointed at Mr. Davenport, Mr. Davenport pointed at Leo and I just stepped away from them so as to not be associated as a troublemaker.

Tasha suddenly reached into her hood and pulled out what looked like a chunk of meat. "And why is there raw meat in my hood?"

None of us had an answer for that, but Eddy popped up on the screen behind us. "That's nothing. Just wait until you see what's in your purse."

Tasha let out a scream of frustration and glared at Eddy.

Bree's POV

I found my brothers in the lab the next day, working on something. Well, Chase was working. Adam was pressing random buttons to mess him up.

"You can probably guess why I'm here." I started. Chase turned around to give me a cold glare, but Adam just had a scared look on his face.

"Chase and I didn't make it out of the fire and we're ghosts?" he guessed. I was about to question him, then I saw the smirk on his face and realized it was a joke.

"I owe you guys an apology." I started. Adam cut me off.

"Yeah, well you should have apologized when we were alive." He told me, continuing his joke. I rolled my eyes and continued.

"Look. I just wanted some freedom from being bionic. And I never meant to put you guys in danger." I told them.

"Well you did." Chase pointed out.

"I know. I was just thinking about me, instead of us. We're a family, and I was being selfish and I'm really sorry." I apologized. "I want back in."

Chase smiled. "Good." He looked at Adam.

"Whoa, wait a minute. We got to vote. Hands up." He ordered. "I'm looking for a three-fifths majority and someone to calculate it."

"Adam, we don't have to vote." Chase told him.

"Yeah." He agreed before turning to me. "Get out!"

"What?" I asked, confused. Adam grinned.

"Yeah, yeah. Family, family, I got it." He spread out his arms. "Bring it in." he said, pulling both of us into a hug.

"What's going on?" I looked over my brothers' shoulder and saw Mr. Davenport standing there. I pulled away from the hug and walked over to him.

"Mr. Davenport, I messed up. And I'm sorry." I told him. "I'm ready to be bionic again."

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way, but I don't think I can do that." He told me. I frowned, confused.

"What do you mean?" Chase asked. "She apologized and she wants back in."

Mr. Davenport sighed. "I didn't create your chip, my brother did. I've tried fixing what was left of the old one, but I can't. And I don't know how to duplicate it."

I looked at him, trying to deny what he was telling me. "What are you saying?"

Mr. Davenport sighed. "I don't know if you'll ever be bionic again."


	16. Which Father Knows Best

Calla's POV

"Hey, how's the chip rebuilding going?" I yawned, walking into the lab. Mr. Davenport glared at me. I gulped. "Sorry I asked?"

"Long night?" Chase asked as I walked over to him. I dropped my bulging backpack under the desk and sat down.

"We had to drive Jaden to the airport, and then mom didn't want to leave until after his plane did because she's going to miss her 'baby boy' so much." When was my mother going to realize that Jaden was eighteen and therefore no longer a baby? "So seriously, how's the chip coming?"

It'd been about three days since Bree smashed her chip and we'd been working on repairing it/building a new one ever since. And nothing Mr. Davenport, Leo or I could come up with would fix it.

"Well, she smashed her chip beyond repair, so it's useless." Mr. Davenport explained, much to Bree's dismay. Then he gave her the good news. "But I've been able to replicate my brother's original chip and just like my face, it's flawless."

"Forget the chip. We need to get this dude a mirror." Leo commented, standing behind me. I smirked at him. Bree ignored him though and looked at Mr. Davenport hopefully.

"Wait, so I'm actually going to be bionic again?" she asked. Mr. Davenport smiled at her.

"Yep." He replied. Bree squeled and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She exclaimed.

"Oh! Your chip's almost ready." Mr. Davenport announced. I glanced over at the Chip Modifier sitting on top of the computer consol. Usually, we used it for chip updates and such, but I guess it could double as a Chip Builder. It beeped, announcing that the chip was done.

"Snacks are ready." Adam announced. Mr. Davenport ran over to the Chip Modifier/Builder before Adam could stick food into it.

"For the last time, this is not a microwave. It's a Chip Modifier." He explained as he carefully took the chip out of the machine. Adam shrugged.

"Call it whatever you want; I'm still making my mini-pizzas in there." He declared. We all ignored him as Mr. Davenport handed the chip to Bree. She was grinning widely.

"Alright Bree. Hop in your capsule and get ready for your new chip." He announced, sounding just as excited as he was. She grinned and did as she was told. Davenport walked over to my desk and began typing in the commands. Leo looked at him, a hopeful look on his face.

"You know, Big D, if this works, maybe you can make a chip for me." He suggested.

"Please, your body can't handle high-fibre cereal, let alone a bionic chip." I muttered. Leo glared at me.

"Are you seriously saying that you wouldn't want to be bionic if you had the option?" He questioned. I merely shrugged and started helping Mr. Davenport put the codes into the computer.

"Honestly? I've never thought about it." I replied. I glanced up. "You're good to go Bree."

She nodded and the lights in her capsule started flashing. She got out a few seconds later, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well, how do you feel?" Mr. Davenport asked her.

"Like a piece of metal was just jammed into my neck and infused to my nervous system." Bree replied, walking towards us. Mr. Davenport grinned.

"Whoo! Success!" He cheered. He ushered Bree to the center of the room. "Okay, now give it a try. See how if it works."

Bree nodded, taking a deep breath. She started forward, but ended up running along the ceiling. She crashed to the ground a few seconds later, along with one of lights. She looked up at us, disappointment in her eyes.

"Well, you're still more useful than Chase." Adam assured her, much to my boyfriend's annoyance.

I rolled my eyes and pointed at the older boy. "Help her up!" I ordered. He nodded, ran over, and lifted Bree over his shoulder. He then carried her over to one of the seats and sat her down.

"Calla, get me the neck brace chip modifier." Mr. Davenport instructed. I nodded and ran to get it out of the storage closet. When I came back, carrying the neck brace we used for chip modification, Mr. Davenport was speaking to Bree. "You know, technically speaking, your bionics are working."

"YOU CALL THIS WORKING?" Bree demanded, using a voice that was far too deep to be her own. She took a deep breath and started again. This time, her voice was extremely high pitched. "I can't control my vocal manipulation! I can't control anything!"

Mr. Davenport sighed, took the neck brace from me, and started attaching it to Bree's neck. "I'm so close! It just needs a few tweaks."

While Mr. Davenport worked, I saw Chase pull Adam aside. They were talking about how they were possibly going to get to missions on time. "Dude, we're in trouble if he can't fix her. We need her speed and agility for missions." Chase said.

"Well, we could replace her." Adam suggested.

"We can't replace her." Chase replied. Adam nodded.

"You're right. Let's just forget about her and move on!" He decided. "She's dead to me!"

Tears welled up in Adam's eyes. Chase sighed. "What's wrong?" Chase asked, sounding relatively annoyed.

"I miss Bree!" Adam sobbed. I bit back a giggle at the sight. Chase just patted his brother's arm, shaking his head.

"Should we tell them that you have a geo-leap bracelet?" Leo asked me quietly. I thought about it.

"Let's wait. It only works for one person right now, so only one of them will be able to use it. And besides, I'm kinda curious what they'll come up with." I replied. "If there's a mission, I'll give them the bracelet, but until then…"

"Come on, what's the worst that they can come up with?" Leo questioned. I smirked.

"I can name twelve different plausible answers to that and seven on them involve Adam and a monkey." I replied, dead serious. Leo thought about it.

"Good point." He agreed. We looked at Mr. Davenport.

"I'm not sure if this is going to work." He muttered, just loudly enough for me and Leo to hear. I didn't think he wanted Bree catching that and freaking out.

"Well, if your brother's the one who built the original chip, maybe we should just call-" I started to suggest, only to be cut off midsentence.

"No! Forget about it! I never want to see that waste of space again!" He snapped. Chase frowned.

"But if Calla's right and he's our only hope…and he's not all bad. He did save us from Krane." He pointed out. Mr. Davenport glared at him.

"Yeah, he also blew up the lab, kidnapped you, and stole all my money!" He reminded him. Adam frowned.

"All I'm hearing is adventure and excitement." He commented. Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes.

"Look, I do not need any help from Douglas. I will fix this." He announced. He pulled the neck brace off of Bree. "Give me a little credit. I happen to be a tech genius."

Bree stepped towards the middle of the room, ready to test out the new chip. I stopped her. "Wait!"

"What?" She asked, confused. I pulled my backpack out from under the desk and opened it up. A large football helmet fell out of the bag into my hands and I offered it to Bree.

"Just in case?" I asked. She considered it.

"No. This is going to work. Like Mr. Davenport said, he's a tech genius." She decided. I nodded and stepped back. She took a deep breath and started running. Unfortunately, instead of speeding forwards, she sped backwards, crashing into the elevator doors.

Adam chuckled. "Oh Mr. Davenport. You are not good at your job."

Bree stumbled back into the lab, her hair a mess. She glanced at me. "I'll take that helmet now." She requested. I tossed it to her, then glanced at Mr. Davenport.

"So, is my Douglas idea still off the table?" I asked innocently. Mr. Davenport turned to us.

"Everyone here is forbidden from talking to Douglas. He's dangerous and I don't want him getting anywhere near you guys. If I find out you've contacted him in anyway, I'll ground you four and Calla, you'll find yourself looking for a new job. Am I understood?" He questioned. We all nodded. "Good. Now get out of here and let me work."

Xxx

We spent hour after hour down in the lab, trying to fix Bree's chip. By time it was two in the afternoon, all of us were crabby and frustrated. Thinking that a snack might help, I headed upstairs to find something from the fridge.

"Hey Adam. Hey Chase. Hey random old lady." I greeted, walking into the kitchen. I opened the fridge door to get some of Tasha's homemade burgers (The lady may be a terrible reporter, but MAN, could she cook). Then it hit me.

I slowly closed the fridge door and looked at the living room. "Why is there an old lady in the living room?"

"Adam stole her." Chase replied, sounding somewhat frustrated with his brother's idiocy. I looked at Adam.

"It's not stealing if she thinks you're her grandson." He pointed out. I sighed, not really wanting to deal with this after five hours of working on a broken bionic chip.

"Adam, you can't just…oh whatever!" I sighed. "Just return her when you're done."

Adam gave me a thumbs up. "Gotcha."

I headed back downstairs, carrying the burgers in my hand. When I got down there, Bree was pacing around the lab impatiently, Mr. Davenport was still working, and Leo was hovering in his personal space.

"Did you try…" Leo started to suggest.

"Yes, I tried that!" Mr. Davenport cut him off. You could tell by the tone in his voice that his patience was wearing thin, that he'd gotten no sleep the night before, and that he was in desperate need of a coffee. But that didn't deter Leo from trying to help.

"Maybe…" he tried again. Mr. Davenport glared at him.

"Maybe you should stand over there so your peanut butter breath won't distract me and I could think!" He exclaimed. Leo backed off slightly and Mr. Davenport continued to work on the chip.

"Burger?" I offered. No one seemed to be hungry. Suddenly, there was a spark and Mr. Davenport jumped backwards, waving his hand to get rid of the pain.

"Ow. Damn." He cursed under his breath. We all looked at him in surprise. Mr. Davenport very rarely swore in front of us, so when he did it usually caught us off guard. He saw our stares at dropped his tools on the desk.

"I need a break." He announced. "I need a break! That's all! Just a break! Break time!"

He left the lab, still talking loudly to himself. I looked at Leo. "Hey, what's your mom's cell number? If and when he has a mental breakdown, someone should probably give her a call."

Leo gave me a look, then glanced at Bree. She looked really upset. "I've never seen him like this." She murmured.

"I have. Remember last Christmas when he gained two pounds?" Leo pointed out. I shuddered at the memory. That was a terrifying time for us all.

"Yeah, those fluffy sweaters weren't fooling anybody." I agreed. Bree didn't seem to find the memory as amusing as us though.

"I'm scared guys. What if he can't fix my chip?" She demanded. "I had a gift and I just threw it away. By destroying my chip, I destroyed our team."

I sighed. There was really only one thing we could possibly do, and if it meant getting fired, so be it. "Bree," I said seriously, "we're going to fix this."

"How?" she looked at me, hoping that I had a plan. I smiled at her reassuringly.

"Do you trust me?" I asked. She nodded. "Then don't ask any questions."

"O…kay?" she seemed confused, but didn't argue. I grabbed Leo's arm.

"Come on, Dooley. We're going on a little adventure." I started dragging him out the back entrance of the lab. He looked at me warily.

"The last time you said that we were 'going on a little adventure' we nearly got killed by a vacuum cleaner." He reminded me. I groaned loudly.

"It was not a vacuum cleaner, it was a Decipticon. We've been over this!" I exclaimed. He looked at me.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Do you remember how Mr. Davenport forbade us from talking to Douglas?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, so?" He questioned.

"We're going to go talk to Douglas. Come on." And with that, I dragged him out of the lab and towards the park.

Xxx

"Okay, he's got to be around here somewhere." I muttered, looking around. Leo suddenly gasped.

"There's a hotdog, kabob, and pita stand!" he said, pointing. Sure enough, there was a stand near the sidewalk, an old lady working there.

"Good eye." I jogged up to the stand. "Excuse me, m'am. We're looking for a man named Douglas. Have you seen him?"

"He's short, creepy, and has porcupine hair." Leo added helpfully. The lady gave us a strange look.

"I wouldn't call it porcupine hair." She objected. But the voice wasn't that of an old lady. It was Douglas' voice. Leo and I stared at the woman in shock. She looked around, then tapped the side of her neck. Her face flickered until Douglas' face replaced hers. "It's really more of a spiky lion's mane."

"Douglas?" Leo frowned. "You could look like anybody with that cyber mask. Why would you go with that?"

"Two reasons; it hides me from Krane and it scares the pigeons away." Douglas replied. He glanced at us as he started to clean up his cart. "So how'd you find me?"

"Well, I could make up an impressive story about a high-tech satellite search that narrowed down your exact coordinates, but the truth is, you butt dialled me." I replied. He nodded. "Speaking of which, how do you have my number?"

Douglas frowned. "I don't know."

As creepy as that was, we had business to attend to. "Look, we need your help. Bree wrecked her chip."

"She what?" Douglas demanded. "It took me perfect that thing!"

"Yeah, well it took her about three seconds to destroy it." I replied. He sighed and crossed his arms, clearly disappointed. Leo continued.

"The bigger problem is Big D can't fix it." He told Douglas, who smirked.

"Of course he can't." He laughed. "I win again. Oh, I can't wait to shove his face in this one."

"This isn't about you beating your brother!" I snapped angrily. "He doesn't even know we're here. If he finds out, I'm fired. But we had no other choice."

"Calla's right. You're the only one who can help Bree." Leo agreed. Douglas sighed.

"I wish I could, kids. But I don't even have a lab anymore." He pointed out. I sighed.

"I'll sneak you into ours while Mr. Davenport's out." I offered. Leo frowned at me. "If I'm gonna get fired, it might as well be for doing something wrong."

"I don't know." Douglas sighed. Leo looked at him, pleadingly.

"Please? Dad?" he added. Both Douglas and I stared at him.

"I'm not your dad!" Douglas exclaimed.

"But you're everyone else's dad! I thought it might work!" He defended himself. I nearly face-palmed. I seriously needed to stop bringing Leo on these mini-missions with me.

"Look, Douglas. Now is not the time for hurt egos or grudges. Bree's my future sister-in-law and I have to fix this. And she needs your help." I said, my tone leaving no room for argument.

Douglas sighed. "Alright." He agreed. He pressed the cyber mask's button and it changed into the old lady's face again. "I guess I'll just have to be the bigger man."

He started to push his food cart towards the Davenport's street, leaving me and Leo staring at him. "Do you think he did the mask thing on purpose or…" Leo trailed off. I shrugged and we followed after the former evil mastermind.

"So…future sister in law?" Leo questioned. I shrugged again.

"Well, Jaden's going to marry Bree, or I'm gonna marry Chase. Either way, it's gonna happen." I replied.

Xxx

It took Douglas a good hour to fix the chip. While he did this, Leo and I alternated between keeping watch for Mr. Davenport and sampling Douglas' food from his cart. Chase had mentioned his really tasty soup back when there was the avalanche incident, but I didn't actually think he could be this good a cook. I was wrong, dead wrong.

Leo started pacing around Douglas impatiently. "Big D is going to be back any minute. DO SOMETHING!" He shouted in Douglas' ear.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you." Douglas replied. "COULD YOU SAY IT A LITTLE LOUDER?"

"Leo, let him work." I instructed, grabbing a small box of pita chips from the cart.

A few seconds later, Douglas stood up. "There. That's as close to the original design as I can get."

"Well, if your microchips are as good as your pita chips, then I think we're in good shape." I told him. He smirked at me, and then walked over to the Chip Modifier.

"Calla? Leo? What is he doing here?" Leo and I turned around to see Bree walking towards us, eyes focused on Douglas. I stood up immediately, putting the pita chips on my desk.

"It's okay, I brought him here. He can help you." I told her. She frowned uneasily.

"I don't know about this." She said uncertainly.

"You don't have a choice. Do you want to be bionic or not?" Leo questioned. Suddenly, there was a ding behind us. Douglas grinned and pulled out the chip.

"There you are." He was about to hand it to Bree when he suddenly stopped and smelled it. "Why does it smell like pepperoni?

Bree looked at the chip and sighed. "Fine, but this better work." She growled at us. She went to take the chip, but stopped and looked pointedly at Douglas. "Wait. You're not going to like, turn me evil, are you?"

"I tried, didn't take." He replied. She sneered at him, but took the chip and headed towards her capsule.

"Don't worry Bree." Leo called through a mouth full of food. "I mean, what bad guy makes baba ghanoush this good?"

Bree rolled her eyes and stepped back into her capsule. Douglas smiled at Leo and I before hitting the correct buttons. "I've got a really good feeling about this."

The lights flashed in Bree's capsule. A second later, she stepped out. She was smiling. "It feels good. Like normal." She said. Douglas smirked.

"Alright, test it out." He suggested.

Bree nodded and took a deep breath. Then she sped forward, this time actually going forward. "Yes!" "You did it!" Leo and I cheered, high fiving Douglas. Bree sped past us again, seeming to have gone in a complete circle.

"I can't stop…" her voice was lost in the wind, but we got the gist of it.

"I thought you knew what you were doing!" I demanded. He glared at me.

"I'm a little rusty, okay?" He argued back. Suddenly, Mr. Davenport walked into the room. He took one look at his brother and stopped in his tracks.

"How did he get in here?" he demanded. I picked up the box of pita chips.

"We did." I admitted. Mr. Davenport looked shocked and mad. Mostly mad. "But before you get angry, you have to taste this!" I cried, shoving the pita chips towards him. He frowned at the chips, glanced back at the cart, then seemed to decide he didn't care.

Suddenly, Bree came speeding by again. "Help me!" She begged before speeding off again. Mr. Davenport looked at us, well more me than Leo, furiously.

"I specifically told you not to contact him!" He shouted. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't fire you here and now?"

"I'm just a little girl?" I suggested, trying to seem like the innocent angel everyone knew I wasn't. Mr. Davenport wasn't impressed. "And why aren't you mad at Leo?"

"It's Leo! He does this kind of stuff on a daily basis! You, on the other hand, I expected more from!" He snapped.

"Well obviously Leo's a bad influence then!" I argued. Leo looked at me, offended.

"Hey! It was your idea!" He objected. Douglas patted out shoulders.

"Lay off the kids, Donny. They were just trying to help." Douglas defended us. Hmm, I never thought that crackpot would ever be on my side.

"Help her?" Mr. Davenport repeated. He started stalking towards Douglas, the latter backing up as he did so. "She's worse off than she is before! I was this close to fixing this!"

"Oh, I saw your chip. You were no where near close!" Douglas snapped.

"You were no where near close!" Mr. Davenport mocked in a childish voice. They started bickering like little kids. Seriously, they were acting like Jaden and I used to. When I was five!

"Do something!" Bree chose that moment to speed past us. Mr. Davenport groaned in annoyance.

"Bree, do you mind? The adults are trying to have a conversation here." He told her. I nearly laughed out loud at the word 'adults'. Mr. Davenport turned to Leo and I. "Look, we are never going to be able to fix that chip unless we can get Bree to stay in one place."

"Well, how do you propose we stop someone running at the speed of sound?" I questioned. Douglas snapped his fingers.

"Spike strip?" He suggested. Mr. Davenport sneered at him.

"Yeah, sure. Why not? It worked for Wile. E. Coyote." He mocked. Bree sped by again, screaming. "Maybe we can construct a giant airbag." Mr. Davenport said.

"Oh yeah, that's not cartoon-like at all." Douglas commented sarcastically. They began to argue again. Leo looked at me.

"Do you have any ideas?" he asked hopefully. I shrugged, my mind completely blank.

"Quicksand?" I smiled helplessly. Leo raised an eyebrow at me and opened his mouth to speak (probably to call me an idiot) but suddenly gasped.

"That's it!" He exclaimed, grinning. I stared at him.

"You like my idea?" I was surprised. Leo shook his head.

"What? No. Your idea is stupid. I've got a better one." He looked at the two adults.

"Ballistic gel!" He shouted at them, causing them to stop. We all stared at him.

"What?" We all gasped.

"The gel that forensics labs use to test firearms." He explained. Mr. Davenport and Douglas thought about it. I grinned at Leo.

"You are a miniature genius, my friend." I told him. He smirked.

"That's not a bad idea." Mr. Davenport agreed. Douglas looked at him.

"I thought it wasn't a bad idea before you did." He said, clearly trying to start another argument.

"Spike strip." Mr. Davenport chuckled under his breath.

"Air bag." Douglas rolled his eyes at the stupidity. I sighed. Seriously, when were those two going to grow up?

"I think my mom could get us some." I suggested, stopping the argument that was definitely going to happen. Leo nodded eagerly.

"Call her then." He instructed. I smirked and pulled out my phone.

Xxx

"And there." Leo sighed as we pushed the large block of ballistic gel onto Bree's path. "The next time Bree runs through here, she'll get stuck in here like a rat."

We all grinned and waited for Bree. Half a second later, she came speeding by. But this time, she came to a dead stop, her feet completely encased in the gel. "Yes!" she cried in relief.

"It worked!" Leo exclaimed. Douglas and Mr. Davenport both grinned.

"I know, I'm a genius." They said at the same time. They gave each other strange looks before whispering to Leo and I, "I'm a genius."

"Well, can you geniuses figure out how to get my bionics to shut off?" Bree demanded. Suddenly, an idea came to me.

"Leo! I've got an idea!" I exclaimed.

Xxx

"This is a terrible idea." Bree glared at me. Apparently, she wasn't a fan of the large, teenager sized baby jumper we'd put her in. I'd always wondered why we had one in my attic, but it seemed to come in handy now.

"Well, your feet aren't touching the ground, are they?" I questioned. Bree glanced down. Although they were several inches away from touching the ground, her super speed hadn't turned off. Bree rolled her eyes at me before glancing at the others.

"Can someone please do something?" she begged tiredly. Leo grabbed my arm suddenly, dragging me over to where Douglas and Mr. Davenport were working.

"Tell me that I'm seeing this incorrectly." Leo pleaded. I took one look at the IPad's screen, then glanced at Bree. This was not good.

"No, that's…that's about right." I sighed. Leo gulped.

"Her heartrate is at 200 and rising and while I'm not a doctor, I feel that's unsafe." He told the two adults. Mr. Davenport gulped, then glared at Douglas.

"This is all your fault. You overloaded her chip!" He accused. Douglas looked offended.

"My fault?" He repeated. "It was your chip I was trying to fix, which was flawed. Much like your original nose."

Mr. Davenport gasped, shocked that Douglas would go there. But before he could get out another insult, Bree interrupted him. "Get…this chip…out of me!" She gasped.

"We can't remove your chip while the bionics are in use." Mr. Davenport explained, running over to her. He held up a small white box. "But we can reprogram it wirelessly with this."

He attached the box to her neck. Suddenly, a red warning symbol popped up on the IPad. "Hurry! She's going to red line!" I shouted.

Leo nodded. "If we don't do something, her heart could…"

"My heart could what?" Bree demanded. Leo looked at her, then at the rest of us.

"What's another word for explode?" He asked.

"Detonate? Burst? Erupt?" I suggested unhelpfully. Bree looked at Leo and I, wide eyed.

Mr. Davenport and Douglas paid us no mind, continuing to work. "I'll enable a diagnostic app that will help us isolate problems in the code." Mr. Davenport decided.

"We don't have time for that!" Douglas exclaimed, pushing Mr. Davenport out of the way. "I'll fix the code!"

"No, I'll fix it!" Mr. Davenport said, pushing Douglas out of the way. Douglas gasped suddenly.

"Oh no! What's wrong with her head?" he demanded. We all looked up. Although sweaty and heart beating WAY too fast, Bree was alright. Douglas and Mr. Davenport started pushing at each other, both of them trying to be the one to fix the code.

"STOP! WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!" Leo shouted, having had enough of their bickering. Douglas suddenly stopped.

"Wait. This line of code hasn't been debugged." He realized. Mr. Davenport's face lit up with realization.

"That's why her neural array keeps re-indexing." He said. Leo and I stared at them in confusion. Usually, I could follow what Mr. Davenport was saying, but now I was just plain confused.

"What does that mean?" I demanded. They both grinned.

"I solved the problem!" They declared. Instead of glaring at each other and yelling 'jinx' like I half expected them to, they started pressing buttons, speaking at the same time. "Complex asterisk, P equal null, value equals 1."

They stopped and Mr. Davenport took a deep breath. "Here we go." He pressed a button on the center consol. After a few seconds, Bree's legs slowed to a stop. Leo and I checked her vitals on the IPad.

"Her heart rate's going down. It's headed for normal." Leo let out a sigh of relief. Bree looked relieved as well, and tired.

"Yay." She murmured, leaning against the baby jumper's ropes tiredly. Leo went to help her down, while the Davenport brothers did some sort of weird handshake/dance thing. We all watched in horror.

"I wish my heart exploded before I saw that." Bree commented. I had to agree with her on that one. Leo helped her out of the baby jumper and helped her to a seat.

"Yo Bree!" I called, tossing her a bottle of water from the mini-fridge. She took it gratefully.

"Thanks." She smiled at me. Suddenly, my phone vibrated. I check it and saw I got a text.

From: Chase

We're on our way back from returning the old lady Adam kidnapped. Want to grab a bite to eat later?

"What's Chase want?" Bree asked. I glanced at her.

"How'd you know he texted me?" I questioned. She smirked.

"That goofy little smirk on your face." She teased. I rolled my eyes.

"They'll be back soon. I'm guessing you want to tell them the good news yourself?" I asked. She nodded and I sent Chase my reply.

To: Chase

Can we do that tomorrow? Leo and I may have stolen/borrowed a food cart from a porcupine head.

He didn't take that long to reply.

From: Chase

I'll pick you up at seven tomorrow then. But I'm getting some of that food cart food.

I laughed, grabbed a couple of boxes of food from the cart, and headed upstairs to meet them. Leo followed my lead.

'So, do you think Big D's really going to fire you?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Probably not. And if he did, I doubt Chase would be very happy with him." I replied. "One of the perks of dating the boss' son."

Leo chuckled and sat down on the couch. The front door opened the second his butt touch the cushions. "Honey, we're home." Chase joked, walking in. Leo and I grinned, getting to our feet.

"Hey guys, guess what?" Leo asked. Before they could reply, Bree sped up in front of us, causing Leo to scream in surprise.

"I'm back, losers." She sang cheerfully. Chase grinned.

"You got your speed back!" he exclaimed, giving his sister a hug. Adam didn't look as excited as we thought he'd be.

"Well that's too bad, because we've already moved on." He said. Chase rolled his eyes, then looked at me.

"So, what's this about a food cart and a porcupine head?" he questioned. I didn't have to answer, because Mr. Davenport and Douglas walked into the room.

"Hey boys." Douglas greeted. Chase frowned in confusion.

"Douglas? What's going on?" he asked. Leo grinned.

"He fixed Bree's chip." He replied.

"Actually, we fixed her chip." Douglas corrected, gesturing at both himself and his brother. He chucked. "That's right. The Davenport boys, together again."

That actually didn't seem like such a bad thing to any of us. Well, except for Mr. Davenport.

"Yeah, not quite." He just had to ruin everyone's good mood. Douglas frowned at him, confused. "Look, I'm grateful for your help and I couldn't have done it without you, but I can't forgive you for what you've done for this family."

Mr. Davenport sighed and pointed at the door. "You should go."

Douglas nodded. "Oh."

We all looked at Mr. Davenport, a little surprised by how cruel he could be. "You can't throw your own brother out on the street." Chase objected. Adam frowned.

"Why not? I'd do it to you." He reminded the younger boy.

"He's tried to hurt us too many times." Mr. Davenport replied. Bree stared at him.

"But he's also saved our lives!" She pointed out. Leo nodded.

"Twice." He agreed.

"Plus, the dude can cook." I pleaded. Douglas glanced at me.

"Speaking of, you and Leo ate sixty dollars worth of my food. Pay up." He ordered. Leo looked at him.

"You heard the man! Out!" He exclaimed. I sighed.

"Leo!" I scolded, taking out my wallet and handing Douglas some cash. "You owe me thirty bucks, Dooley."

Mr. Davenport looked at Douglas. "Go." He ordered. Douglas started towards the door.

"Come on Mr. Davenport, let the guy stay." "Give him a chance." "This isn't fair!" Adam, Bree, and Chase objected.

"Guys." Douglas stopped them. "It's okay. He's right. I messed up. See you around."

We watched him go; only turning away when the door closed behind him. Bree put her hands on my and Leo's shoulders. "Thank you so much guys. If not for you, none of this would have ever worked out."

We smiled softly at her and she turned to Mr. Davenport. "And I promise that I will never do something that stupid ever again."

Mr. Davenport didn't look upset anymore. "We all make mistakes." He assured her. "And everyone deserves a second chance."

Bree frowned and glanced at the door. "Everybody?" she repeated.

We all realized what she was referring to and gave Mr. Davenport hard looks. "Oh snap!" Adam exclaimed. Mr. Davenport sighed.

"You guys are seriously going to make me do this, aren't you?" he guessed. We all exchanged looks.

"You don't really have a choice." Bree replied with a smile.

"To park!" Leo announced.

Xxx

"There's the food cart." I pointed out as we walked into the park. Douglas was disguised as an old lady again, fixing up another box of pita chips. Leo walked up to her and grinned.

"Hey Douglas." He greeted. Chase frowned.

"I don't think that's Douglas." He commented. Adam nodded his agreement.

"Yeah, she has much bigger hands." He pointed out. Leo rolled his eyes.

"Trust me guys. This is no lady." He replied, reaching towards the lady's neck. He was trying to find the button for the cyber mask. The lady shoved him away, glaring at him.

"Get off me!" She exclaimed. I gulped. That was not Douglas' voice, therefore, that was not Douglas.

"Come on Douglas. Ditch the mask." He frowned at the lady's head. "Where's the button on this thing?"

He reached forward again, only to be pushed away once again. The lady grabbed a pair of tongs and threatened him with it. "I'm warning you kid. Stop poking me or you're going to meet the wrong end of these tongs."

Leo looked at the woman, both confused and frightened. Suddenly, Douglas stood popped out from behind some bushes. "It's okay, Greta." He told the lady. "They're with me."

Leo screamed then, surprised. He looked at the lady, having realized his mistake. "So that's Douglas."

She nodded. "Uh huh." She replied.

"And you're a real lady." He continued. She glared at him.

"Uh huh." She nodded, still holding up the tongs. Leo looked back at us.

"Help me!" He begged. I grabbed him by the back of his sweater and pulled him away from the woman before he could offend her more. She just rolled her eyes and walked away as Douglas climbed out of the bushes.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" he asked suspiciously. We pushed Mr. Davenport forward, knowing he wouldn't start this willingly.

"We…um…we were going on a family jog. Leo gets winded on the last mile, so we all have to carry him. Can't go alone. Bye." He tried to walk away, so we all stood in front of him, forcing him to turn back to him brother. Douglas looked at him, curious about what he had to say.

Mr. Davenport sighed. "Okay, I may have been a little harsh earlier." He admitted. Douglas raised an eyebrow.

"A little?" he repeated.

"Don't push it, you're sleeping in a bush." I reminded him. He considered that for a moment.

"Continue." He told Mr. Davenport.

"I realized that everybody deserves a second chance. Even you." He sighed. "So as soon as you apologize for all the things you've done, and say that I'm better than you, maybe you can come stay with us for a while. If you don't want to, you don't have to." He added, trying to get out of this. Douglas stopped him.

"No, no, no." He said. "It's…clear that you need me. So, I'm sorry and thank you." Mr. Davenport nodded, accepting the apology. "Now let's go home."

Mr. Davenport grinned. "Alright, but I only brought the motorcycle, so you're going to have to ride on back."

Douglas shook his head. "Nah, I'll drive." He offered. Mr. Davenport chuckled.

"I don't think so. Everybody knows, the big guy rides in front." Mr. Davenport pointed out.

"Well I'm not going to sit there with my arms wrapped around you." They argued, walking out of the park. We just watched them go, shaking our heads at them.

"Wow, so immature." Chase commented. Adam nodded.

"Yeah, who acts like that?" He asked. I glanced at them.

"You guys do know that Jessica saw you two arguing about the same thing earlier today? She texted me pics of you guys." I told them. Bree and Leo smirked at me.

"Show us." They begged. I held out my phone and showed them the different pictures, the weirdest of which involved Chase sitting on top of the handle bars. As hilarious as that was, I did have to admit he looked good in a motorcycle jacket.

Xxx

"Isn't this show supposed to make you dumber?" I asked as Adam changed the channel to Sponge Bob Square Pants. Chase shrugged.

"It's kinda funny." He replied. Adam glanced over at us.

"Hey, you guys want a snack?" He questioned. I shrugged.

"Sure." Chase replied.

Instead of getting up like most people would, Adam just called "Oh Myrtle!"

Suddenly, the same old lady as before sped forward at a speed only Bree could match. She was holding a plate of peanut butter cookies. Adam took the plate from her as Chase started in shock.

"What did you do?" he demanded. Adam grinned proudly.

"Now that Mr. Davenport fixed Bree's chip, I made a copy and stuck it in Myrtle. She thinks it's a pace maker." He replied, holding the plate out to us. "Cookie?"

I took a couple, but Chase was still too stunned to eat. "You put a chip in an old lady and it works?" Chase demanded. "Mr. Davenport is never going to believe this!"

"Chase, wait!" I called after him as he ran towards the lab, but he didn't hear me. I shook my head. "Unbelievable."

'Myrtle' reached up and touched her neck. The cyber mask turned off, revealing Bree's smirking face. "Did he really think that you were smart enough to do that?" Bree questioned.

Adam laughed. "I'm as shocked as you are."

I couldn't help but laugh too. "Oh, Bree! By the way, I have a surprise for you!"

"What's up?" Bree asked, sitting down next to me. I handed her a blue and white bracelet.

"The geo-leap bracelet is done." I replied. Her eyes lit.

"You mean I can teleport to Australia whenever I want?" she gasped. I nodded.

"On one condition." I warned. She looked at me desperately.

"Anything." She replied. I smirked.

"My birthday's in a few weeks. I want a baby koala." I announced. Bree laughed and slipped on the bracelet.

"One baby koala coming right up. I'll tell Jaden that you said hi." She told me. She closed her eyes and disappeared with a zap.


	17. You Posted What?!

Chase's POV

Normally, I didn't mind missions. I actually enjoyed them often; I liked helping people a lot. But couldn't we have one week without a mission?

I was in the middle of planning a very special date for Calla and I when I got the alert. See, tomorrow was our one year anniversary and I figured I'd have to do something special for her. And not just because Bree insisted that this was the most important day in our relationship.

So, as a surprise, I was going to get reservations at that new restaurant, Cordon Bleu, for us, then take her out to see the new Sci-Fi movie she was excited about.

Then of course, right when I was in the middle of trying to get the restaurant reservations, we got the mission alert. Worst timing ever.

"Hey, it could be worse." Bree commented as we looked around the mission site. We were supposed to be fixing a ruptured gas line, but had yet to find the rupture. I glanced at her. "We could have gotten the mission alert tomorrow night, during your date."

"Fair point." I agreed.

"Guys! I found the hole in the pipe!" Adam suddenly shouted. We ran up to him and saw the large rupture in the large pipe. I nodded at him.

"Good work Adam." I complimented as I quickly scanned the mission site. My scan showed that we were completely alone.

"The rupture's getting worse." Bree told us. I looked at her.

"That's natural gas. We have to fix that leak or it will explode. Go check the rest of the pipeline for cracks." I ordered.

"On it." Bree sped off to the East, running along the side of the pipeline. I pulled out my handheld scanner and scanned the pipe.

"We have to move fast." I said to my brother. "The whole pipe is unstable."

"Hey, you ever wonder what it would be like if we weren't bionic?" He asked suddenly. I rolled my eyes. Yet another random question from Adam. "What's the first thing you'd do?" he continued.

"Not get trapped in these stupid conversations." I replied. He smirked, not noticing the annoyance in my tone.

"You know what I would do if I wasn't bionic? Try to become bionic?" I rolled my eyes again.

"Can we just do this?" I demanded. He sighed.

"Fine. I'll seal the crack with my heat vision." He offered. I stopped him before he could.

"Yes, let's shoot blistering heat at highly flammable gas." I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice. Of course, Adam didn't notice.

"I just said that. Were you not listening?" he questioned. I looked at him, hoping he wasn't serious. Unfortunately, he was.

"Just let me contain the gas with my force field first." I told him. I lifted my hands and held the force field around the gas, keeping it away from where Adam was going to shoot his lasers. "Alright, it's only going to hold it for a few seconds. Go."

He didn't answer, but glared at the rupture. Two bright red lasers blasted from his eyes at the hole, welding it closed.

Suddenly, Bree sped back over to us. When she skidded to a stop, she was covered in rashes and leaves. "I checked all two hundred miles." She reported before pulling some of the leaves out of her hair. "Seventy of which had poison oak." She added with a grimace.

"Alright…" I spared her a glance as she began to scratch her neck. "Let's get out of here."

She stopped scratching. "Alright, grab on."

I looked at the poison oak leaves still in her hair. "Actually, I'm gonna take the bus." I decided. She gave me a hurt look, but I paid it no mind.

"Me too." Adam agreed before we ran off.

S-1's POV

The brown hair girl looked at the two boys. "Alright, grab on."

The shortest of the boys didn't look like he wanted to. "Actually, I'm going to take the bus." He told her. The taller boy nodded in agreement.

"Me too." He agreed before they ran off. The girl sped off after them, running at the speed of a train.

I smirked to myself, climbing out of my hiding spot. I pressed the stop button on my recorder, grinning. Time to upload this onto the internet.

Calla's POV

"Calla Alexandria Parker, get your butt downstairs now!" I groaned at the sound of my mom's voice, and blinked open my eyes. What time was it?

I glanced at my clock. 7:50. Oh, crap!

"I'm late!" I muttered, jumping out of bed. School started in ten minutes! I must have overslept! No wonder my mom was yelling at me!

In record time, I pulled on a pair of jeans and my favourite panda t-shirt. I started towards the stairs, then ran back into my room and grabbed the black box off my dresser. Obviously, I couldn't let myself forget Chase's anniversary gift. Then I scrambled downstairs, my backpack in one hand. "I know, I know. I'm late. My alarm didn't go off." I explained as I ran into the living room. My mom was standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed. For some reason, I got the feeling that she wasn't angry about me sleeping in. "What's up?"

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" She asked me, using that tone that told me I was busted for something. The problem was, I couldn't think of anything I'd done that was punishable. "About your friends?"

I frowned. What was she talking about? "Mom, I really have no idea what you're going on about." I told her. She picked up the TV remote.

"Let me show you then." She turned the TV onto the news. My heart nearly stopped when I saw the main story.

It was a video clip of Adam, Bree, and Chase, all in their mission uniforms. But that wasn't it. The clip showed Bree using her super speed, Chase using his force field, and Adam using his heat vision. Above the clip, in large letters, it read: The World's First Bionic Superhumans

I couldn't speak, could hardly breathe. The secret was out. The world knew about their bionics. All our hard work, everything we've done to keep it a secret and now it was all for nothing. Everything was ruined now.

The government would come. Davenport would be arrested. Chase would be taken away from me forever.

"Well, Calla? Would you like to explain this?" My mom questioned, oblivious to my growing horror. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out.

It took me a few seconds to find my voice. "I…Mom…it's um…CGI." I lied, coming up with the first excuse my mind could come up with. But my mom didn't buy it for a second.

"You're lying to me." She accused. I sighed. She knew.

"I've gotta go." I told her, heading for the door. My hand was already in my pocket, searching for my cell phone.

"Wait just one minute!" My mom stopped me before I could leave. "You knew about this? You knew you were dating some…some freak?"

"He's a hero, not a freak." I snapped instantly, glaring at her. "And yes, I knew about it."

"Calla, he's a living weapon. They all are. You saw what they did!" She pointed at the screen. They were still playing the video.

"Yes, they stopped an explosion from happening. I don't see how that makes them freaks or weapons." I argued.

"Imagine what else they can do. With those kinds of abilities, they could kill people! They're armed and dangerous." My mom told me. "How could you knowingly get involved in this?

I looked at her, stunned. My mom and I got along extremely well. Arguments between us were rare and she usually trusted my judgement. So I couldn't understand why she was acting as if my best friends and boyfriend were dangerous criminals.

"I got involved in this because of what I've seen them do. They risk their lives on a daily basis trying to save lives. In the past month alone, they put out a fire at a chemical plant and they stopped that pipe from exploding. Not to mention, they've saved my life on at least three different occasions!" I exclaimed. "Now if you excuse me, I'm leaving."

"You're grounded, young lady." My mother's tone was cold. I stopped and glanced over my shoulder. "For lying to me for who knows how long and for being involved in this."

"Fine." I agreed. "Take my laptop and cell phone away, lock me in my bedroom, give me a curfew. I don't care. Bye."

I slammed the door behind me, my phone in my hand. I walked quickly to the Davenport's house, trying to turn the device on. When the screen remained black, I realized that I'd forgotten to charge it last night. Wonderful…

I didn't bother knocking as I opened the front door to the Davenport household. "Chase? Adam, Bree? Leo?" I called, desperately hoping they'd be there. Someone had to be home at least. When I got no answer, a terrible thought occurred to me. What if the government already came? My calls got more desperate as I tried again. "Chase? Anyone? Hello?"

"Calla?" Tasha ran out from the other room, followed by Douglas and Mr. Davenport. The latter frowned.

"Shouldn't you be at school?" Mr. Davenport asked.

"Where are Adam, Bree, and Chase?" I demanded, ignoring his question. That just confused them more.

"At school. Where you should be." Mr. Davenport replied. Tasha looked at me, concerned.

"Is everything alright, sweetie? You look upset." She commented. I looked at them and realized they still didn't know what was going on.

"I'm guessing you haven't seen the news yet." I said.

Chase's POV

"Hmm. Calla's not answering her phone and she always meets us at the bus stop." I wondered aloud as we headed up the steps to the school. Bree shrugged.

"You know her. She probably got caught up with some work assignment at home. I'm sure you'll see your girlfriend in homeroom." She assured me. Adam stopped, then grinned.

"Speaking of girlfriends," he commented before waving at Jessica. She was standing by the door, looking at her phone. "Hey Jessie!"

Jessica looked up, but didn't come over like she usually did. Instead, she paled and ran off in the other direction.

"Well that's unusual." Leo commented, frowning. Adam nodded.

"Yeah, usually girls only run from Chase." He agreed. I glared at him as we walked inside. The second we entered the building, we realized just how weird everyone was acting. Either they were running away from us like Jessica, or staring at us with wide eyes.

"Principal Perry, what's everybody looking at?" Bree asked in confusion. Perry looked at us.

"A new viral video. Guess what it's called. The World's First Bionic Humans." She replied. We all stared at her.

"What?" we demanded, shocked. Adam frowned in confusion.

"Wait, there are other bionic people?" he asked. He looked at us. "Then why are we working so hard?"

"She's talking about us!" I snapped at him. Perry nodded.

"Yeah, look." She showed us her IPad. On it, there was a video of yesterday's mission. It showed in perfect detail us using our bionics.

"That's yesterday's mission." I realized, dread washing over me.

"Somebody filmed us." Bree whispered, horrified.

"Your secret's out. Everybody's going to know you're bionic." Leo stated the obvious.

"Great! Now I can't blackmail daddy big-bucks anymore! My gravy train just ran right off the tracks!" Perry exclaimed, upset.

We chose to ignore her. Suddenly, I was fully aware of the hard stares we were getting from everyone in the room. They were looking at us as if we were freaks. We all looked around at our classmates and friends.

"Everyone's staring at us." Bree said, sounding nervous. Perry looked around and actually did a nice thing for once.

"Hey! Stop staring!" She ordered. At the sound of her harsh, commanding voice, the people scattered. "Scram! So they're bionic, big deal! Get to class before they mow you down with their finger missiles!" She ordered. The hall was empty in seconds, leaving just the four of us.

"How could this happen?" Bree demanded, after a moment. "What are we going to do?"

She was completely panicking and I didn't blame her. I wanted to comfort her, to tell her that everything was going to be fine, but the truth was, it wasn't.

"I don't know." I admitted. "We're in big trouble."

"Wait!" Leo suddenly gasped, a bright look on his face. "I know how we can fix this. We'll convince everyone that the video was made with special effects. Like those fake videos Adam's always watching."

Adam look at Leo, stunned. "So Giant Baby Eats Tokyo is fake?" he questioned. Leo looked at us, his point made. "I should have known." Adam sighed. "Where are they going to get a diaper than big?"

I nodded at Leo. "That might actually work." I told him.

"First we'd better go tell Mr. Davenport." Bree told us. We started to leave, but Adam stopped us.

"Wait, is Giant Baby Eats London fake too?" he asked. "Because I just sent fifty bucks to the Victim's Relief Fund."

"Come on!" I grabbed his arm and pushed him outside. We ran back to our house as fast as our legs could carry us, hoping that Leo's idea might work.

"Mr. Davenport!" I shouted, pushing open the front door. He and Tasha were at his desk, Douglas at the kitchen counter, and Calla sitting on the couch.

"Chase!" She exclaimed, jumping up and throwing her arms around me. I hugged her tightly as Douglas, Tasha, and Mr. Davenport ran towards us.

"Calla just showed us the video." Mr. Davenport told us. I looked at her.

"My mom confronted me about it when I woke up." She explained. "I came right here."

"What are we going to do?" Tasha demanded.

"I say we sell Chase to the circus and use the money to start our new lives." Adam suggested. I looked at him, offended. Leo got right to business, ignoring Adam's hurtful comment.

"Big D, I know how we can fix this." He started, only to be cut off by Douglas.

"We already tried that, Leo. But it's too late. The video's all over the news and experts have verified that the footage wasn't manipulated." He picked up the TV remote and changed it to the news. The video clip of us was playing there too. "People all over the world are freaking out."

"Of course they are." Adam agreed. "They just saw Chase in a skin tight costume."

Calla gave him a hard stare. "That's enough Adam." She ordered.

"Guys, Douglas is right." Mr. Davenport sighed. "This is way too big to spin."

Tasha shook her head in shock. "I can't believe this. You guys are the biggest news story ever." She said. "And I got scooped!"

"How could this have happened?" Mr. Davenport picked up his IPad. I shook my head, helpless.

"I don't know. I did a thermal scan of the mission site. No one was there." I replied.

"Well, the footage from my Daven-Earth Satellite says otherwise." He corrected me, showing me the satellite footage on his IPad. It showed us fixing the pipe, but it also showed a teenage girl in the bushes behind us.

"What?" I demanded, staring at her. How could that be possible? "But I scanned the site."

"Yeah, well you missed a spot and now the entire family's in danger." Mr. Davenport told me. I winced at his words. This couldn't be my fault, could it?

"Come on Donny. The kid made a mistake." Douglas tried to defend me. "It could happen to anyone."

"Not really. He's the only one who thermal scans." Adam reminded everyone. I looked at him, seriously offended that he was picking on me even now.

Calla took my hand. "Ignore him." She murmured. I nodded.

"So what's our next move?" Leo asked. Tasha looked at us hopefully.

"Give Tasha Davenport an exclusive interview?" she asked hopefully. We all looked at her. "It's my job to ask." She defended herself.

"Don't worry guys, I prepared for this." Mr. Davenport assured us. "I've got a safe house in a secure location. You three will hide there. It's got capsules, food, everything you'll need for a year's worth of survival."

We all stared at him. A year?

"A year?" Bree said my thoughts aloud. Mr. Davenport hesitated.

"Well, three hundred and forty-three days. After that, I guess you could play rock paper scissors and eat the loser." He suggested, shrugging. We stared at him.

"In the meantime," he continued. "I'm going to hold a press conference and prove to the world you're not dangerous. When they're ready to accept you, you'll come home. Any questions?"

"Yeah. I finally decided to whiten my teeth." Adam announced. "Wait, that's not a question. So yeah, no questions."

"Come on." I whispered to Calla, leading her down to the lab. The second we got down there, she started rummaging through her desk.

"Where is it?" She muttered under her breath.

"Where's what?" Leo asked, following us down here. She didn't answer at first, then pulled out two USB sticks. She tossed one to Leo.

"Back everything on your computer up onto that memory stick, then wipe the computer." She ordered. "If the government come, we don't want them seeing all the information on the bionics that we have here."

"Good idea." Leo agreed. I went into the back room while they worked, and grabbed a small bag. I shoved stuff in there quickly – my mission uniform, my wallet, a picture of Calla, a couple of weapons, and a box of granola bars (I didn't think the whole 'rock, paper scissors to see who gets eaten first' thing would work out so well).

"I don't get it." I complained when I walked back in. "I know I scanned the mission site. How did I not notice that girl?"

"Yeah, it is weird." Leo agreed. "Usually it's the girl that doesn't notice you." I gave him a look.

"Chase, if you're so sure you did the scan, why don't you check your chip log?" Calla asked. "I haven't deleted it yet."

"Good idea." I walked over to her desk and started inputting the codes. At the same time, Douglas walked past us, carrying a box full of old inventions.

"Guys, hurry up." He ordered. "This is why I should have raised you. Then you'd know how to abandon a building."

I ignored him and looked at my chip log. Just as I thought… "Aha! Look!"

They looked at the screen where it showed the chip scan. "Chase is right. He did do a thermal scan of the mission site." Leo realized. I grinned.

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "I knew it! I'm still perfect!"

Calla put her hand on my shoulder. "Hey babe? Vanity is not an attractive feature."

I rolled my eyes. "Hey, wait a minute." Leo said suddenly. He brought the satellite footage back onto the screen, right below the chip scan. "Look. The time codes match."

We watched as my thermal scan passed right over where the girl should be. "The satellite says that she's there, but she's no where to be found on the chip log."

"That's impossible." I frowned in confusion. "Something weird's going on. I'm going to tell Mr. Davenport."

"Good idea." Douglas agreed. "But leave out the part about being perfect. It just makes people want to punch you in the face."

I considered that, then ran upstairs. Adam and Bree were in the living room, packing. "Guys, where's Mr. Davenport?" I demanded.

"Still upstairs. Why?" Bree asked.

"I was right. I did scan the site, but that girl didn't show up on the chip log." I explained. Adam frowned.

"What does that mean?" he asked. Before I could say anything, the lights suddenly cut out and the door opened. Men in black uniforms started pouring in from every possible entrance and we were suddenly forced to the ground.

"Secure the perimeter!" A tall man, the only one not wearing completely black, ordered. He looked at us. "Don't try anything. We have more than enough fire power to take you down."

He looked at one of the other men. "Hit the lights. I need eyes on them."

The lights flickered back on and we were pulled to our feet.

"Who are you?" I demanded, glaring at the man.

"Why are you doing this?" Bree added.

"Quiet." The man growled in response. "I ask the questions."

He then pulled out a walkie-talkie and spoke into it. "We got them. Bionic targets have been secured."

Adam grabbed the remote. "Is what I would say if I found them, but I haven't." He spoke in a deep voice, trying to imitate the man. He was pulled back by two of the black-suited men around us. They were agents, I now realized. Government agents.

"No, you've got it all wrong! We're not a threat!" Bree exclaimed, trying to reason with the man. "You obviously saw the video of us fixing the pipeline!"

"We're on your team." I agreed.

"I'll decide who's team you're on." The man scowled at us.

"You know what will help? If we do shirts and skins." He started to pull off his shirt. "Come on guys."

"Keep your shirt on." The man ordered. Adam shrugged, but did as he was told.

"Fine, you be skins. I was just trying to be nice. I know how you old guys are about showing your love handles." Adam replied.

"Okay, okay!" We looked up and saw Mr. Davenport and Tasha being forced down the stairs. Tasha glared at the man in front of us. "I know my rights. You can not barge in here without a warrant."

The man pulled a piece of paper out of his pockets and showed it to them. Mr. Davenport took it, while Tasha looked miffed. "Well aren't you mister prepared." She muttered.

I looked at Mr. Davenport hopefully. "Mr. Davenport, talk to them." I requested. Bree nodded.

"Tell them to let us go." She pleaded. Mr. Davenport read over the warrant, then looked at us with sad eyes.

"Guys…there's nothing I can do." He said, his tone sounding defeated. "It's over."

We all looked at him, a little surprised. There was nothing he could do? But whenever we had a problem we couldn't solve ourselves, we went to him! Was it really over, just like that?

Calla's POV

"Guys…there's nothing I can do. It's over." Leo, Douglas and I watched in distraught as Mr. Davenport told them the cold, hard truth.

He's right. It's all over. I thought darkly. The secret was out, the government had won. The angry part of me that wanted to go upstairs and do SOMETHING, anything to fix this. But the logical part of me told me that it'd be useless and that there was nothing we could do.

"We have to save them!" Leo exclaimed, catching my attention.

"We don't stand a chance against those guys." Douglas replied. Leo looked at him angrily.

"Then Calla and I will rescue them ourselves. Come on, Parker." He called, heading for the door.

"How are we supposed to save them, Leo?" I questioned. "If you have an idea, I want to hear it. But…I've got nothing. We're out numbered and they will likely not hesitate to kill us."

Leo looked at me. "Don't you want to help them?" he demanded.

"Of course I do!" I snapped. "But we should hide, bide our time, come up with a real plan. If they capture us, it's going to be all over." Leo still looked like he wanted to do something reckless. Not that I blamed him; reckless was my middle name. "Leo, haven't you ever heard the saying 'Live to fight another day'?"

Suddenly, a noise from behind us made us jump. Douglas pressed a button on my computer and it showed the elevator. The elevator full of armed agents.

"They're coming in the elevator." We started running towards the back exit, but stopped when we heard footprints coming from that direction. "From the tunnel too."

"We're surrounded." I whispered, suddenly fearful. Douglas looked at Leo and I.

"Want me to blow up the lab again? I'm good at it!" He exclaimed. I grabbed the IPad from Leo's desk.

"Let's make that plan B." I told Douglas, holding the IPad out so Leo could do the honours. He frowned at us.

"Well, what's plan A?" he demanded. Leo smirked.

"This." He replied, pressing a button on the IPad. Suddenly, the floor gave out beneath us. We fell several feet and landed on something soft.

"What are we lying on?" I asked as we watched the floor panel replace itself. It was too dark to see who it was, but a form next to me chuckled.

"This is where my mom keeps spare blankets and pillows in case the lab gets cold in the winter." Leo whispered from my left. We sat in silence as we listened to what was going on in the lab.

"Tell Agent Graham that the lab is secure." I heard one of the agents say. Suddenly, a bright light appeared next to me. I turned to see Douglas holding his phone out, the flash of his camera on.

"Come on." He pulled Leo and I to our feet and we started looking around the room. "How are we supposed to get out of here?" he questioned.

"There's a fire escape somewhere around…here it is!" I hissed, pushing open the door. It led to one of the smaller, unused tunnels in the lab. This one was dimly lit, enough so that we didn't need Douglas' phone.

"Come on." Leo nodded at us and we began to walk along the hall.

"Fire escape, nice." Douglas nodded. "Who's idea?"

"Mr. Davenport's. He was always extra prepared in case of something like this." I replied. After a few minutes of walking, the tunnel came to a stop. There was a ladder off to one side.

"Ladies first." Leo nodded at the ladder. I smiled in confusion, but started up the ladder.

"Since when did you become such a gentleman?" I asked.

"I'm not. But if this opens up into the middle of a busy street, you're totally going first." Leo replied. I laughed and pushed the open the trap door above me. It revealed a small expanse of trees.

"No busy street or cars in view. It's safe to come up." I called, getting out of the way. Both Leo and Douglas climbed out and stood beside me as I pushed the trapdoor closed and covered it with dirt. Mr. Davenport had been very clear on people not seeing this trapdoor.

"Where are we?" Leo asked, frowning. I pointed above the tree line, at a large brown building.

"The school. Mr. Davenport always thought it would be a safe place to hide. People tend to avoid going there because of Perry." I replied. "Now come! We need to get out of here!"

Calla's POV

We ran into the school, winded. My secret fire escape was a good idea, but we all agreed that being indoors would give us a better chance at staying hidden.

"We'll hide here until we figure out our next move." Douglas told us, looking around.

"You know things are bad if school is my safe place." Leo muttered. I smirked, then looked over his shoulder, seeing something very peculiar. Leo and Douglas followed my gaze to see Perry going through one of the lockers.

"Principal Perry, why are you going through Bree's locker?" I asked curiously. Perry gasped and spread her hands against the locker, legs apart, as if she was getting arrested. "It's just us," I informed her. "Not the police."

Perry backed up and slammed the locker door closed, then looked at us. "What are you doing here?"

"More importantly, what are you doing with Bree's things?" Leo questioned, looking confused.

"Certainly not trying to decide what to sell in my bionic souvenir gift shop." She replied. Suddenly, her gaze locked on Douglas and she smiled. She actually smiled. "Ooh. I see you've brought the one family member that doesn't disgust me. Hello." She said, pushing Leo and I to the side.

Douglas looked momentarily disturbed, but then continued. "Principal Perry, we need your help."

Perry continued to smile, much to Leo and my disgust. "Please, call me Terry. It's easy to remember because it rhymes with marry."

Douglas looked at us for help, but we just shook our heads. This was both creepy and amusing at the same time. "If it's okay, I'd still like to call you Principal, because it rhymes with…" Douglas thought for a moment, "I have a girlfriend."

I rolled my eyes at Perry, who was still smiling up at Douglas. "Government agents took over the house and kidnapped Adam, Bree, and Chase!" Leo announced. She turned around glared at him.

"Put a sock in it! Momma's trying to get her groove back!" She snapped at him, causing the younger boy to back up a step. He looked terrified of her, but I didn't blame him.

"It's true!" I supplied, trying to help. Douglas nodded.

"For all we know, they're being grilled by the feds right now." He agreed. Perry looked suddenly afraid.

"No, no, no, no, no! If the feds find out I was in on this, I'm cooked!" She panicked, then took a deep breath and pulled out her cell phone. "I guess there's only one thing left to do. Trade you three for my freedom."

"No!" We all shouted. Douglas grabbed her wrist, stopping her from making the call.

"Please." He begged. "You're our only friend right now."

Perry glanced at his hand, still holding onto her wrist. "Well, who could say no to a man with such hairy knuckles." She stroked her face with Douglas' hand, much to his obvious disgust.

He pulled her hand away from her, then looked at me. "Can't we go back to our place? I'm sure your mom would help us." He pleaded. I shook my head.

"Sorry Douglas, but that's the first place they'd look for me, and therefore you guys as well." I replied. That, and I wasn't sure who's side my mom would be on. I didn't think she'd turn me over to the feds (I was her only daughter, for God's sake) but I had no clue what she'd do with Douglas or Leo.

"We don't think the bionic video was an accident." Leo told Perry, pulling out his phone and showing her the picture of the girl. "This is the girl who filmed then. Do you know her?"

"No, but email me the picture and I'll run it through our student faculty database." Perry offered. He nodded and did just that. "It's supposed to be used for transcripts, but I use it to play the ugly face, ugly name game."

We looked at her. She smiled at Douglas. "I'll be back in a flash, my little love troll." She walked into her office, leaving Douglas more confused and repulsed than ever.

Leo and I looked back at the photo. "Okay, let's think about this." Leo said, checking out the stats on his phone. "The mission was to fix a busted pipe that got ruptured during seismic activity at exactly…" He trailed off, frowning. "Wait. This geological website says there was no seismic activity yesterday."

"That's weird." Douglas murmured. Perry came out of her office just then, carrying a piece of paper, and he pushed Leo and I in front of him as human shields.

"Nothing came up on your gal." Perry told us. "The records say she doesn't exist. But check out the donkey face of this French teacher from Modesto. Bonjour, Matilda Flart!"

Perry then showed us a picture that will scar me for life. Even describing it would give on nightmares.

"Wait, so there was no seismic activity and there's no record of the girl's existence?" I questioned. "This was a setup. There's no other explanation."

Douglas snapped his fingers. "If we can find evidence that the pipe was sabotaged, that would prove it! Let's go check out that mission site!"

We started to leave, but Perry stopped us. "Wait, there's one more thing you should know!" she announced. We stopped to hear what it was and she looked at Douglas. "The school board frowns on parents dating teachers, but let's be honest. You ain't no parent, and I ain't no teacher."

Douglas didn't know how to respond to that (to be fair, who would?) so he just ran, Leo and I racing after him.

Chase's POV

Bree and I watched in silence as the government agents finished their scan of Adam. I guess they were trying to see if we were radioactive or something. I wasn't really sure. Meanwhile, Mr. Davenport and Tasha were in the lab, being interrogated.

I briefly wondered where Calla, Leo and Douglas were. Somehow, they'd managed to escape the agents. I wasn't sure how that was possible, but then again, it was Calla and Leo. Those two were always full of surprises.

Those two were also reckless and likely to do something stupid, like try to rescue us. That's what I was worried about most. These guys were armed and outnumber them; if Calla and Leo attacked, they could get seriously hurt.

"I wonder how Mr. Davenport's holding up." Bree murmured suddenly.

"He's the one who taught us how to handle interrogations. I'm sure he's fine." I told her, trying to calm her nerves.

"Yeah, but that Agent Graham seems…" She trailed off, looking for the right word.

"Scary?" I suggested. She nodded. "Bree, the guy's a crackpot who chases after myths and legends for a living. I don't think Mr. Davenport's in any danger."

She nodded thoughtfully. I looked at the agent watching us, then whispered in my sister's ear. "Hey, where's your geo-leaping watch?"

She scowled. "In my bag." She nodded at the blue backpack sitting over by the door. And two armed guards.

"Damn it." I muttered. Suddenly, a sound from the other room caught all of our attentions.

"Catch that mutt!" One of the agents said. Glitch came bolting out from the hall.

"Glitch!" Bree called, bending down and picking the puppy up. The agents looked at us warily, as if they were considering taking Bree's dog from her.

"Dude, it's a puppy." I exclaimed. Bree's grip on the dog tightened, but the agents seemed to know better than try to separate the two.

"What are we going to do, Chase?" Bree whispered, her voice slightly muffled as she pressed her lips to Glitch's head. I frowned.

"I don't know." I replied. "I just don't know."

Calla's POV

We got to the mission site in record time. Leo and I checked around the site while Douglas checked the pipe for any signs of sabotage.

Eventually, after ten minutes of finding nothing, I turned to Douglas, a smirk on my face. "So…" He looked up at me when I spoke. "You and Principal Perry…"

"I don't want to talk about it!" He snapped. I held up my hands in an 'I surrender' motion.

"Hey guys, check this out!" Leo called suddenly. We headed over to where he was. He pointed at some burn mark on the ground. "That looks like a superspeed trail."

"But those can't be Bree's. She went to the east and these clearly point south." I commented. Douglas frowned.

"That's the bush the girl was hiding behind." He pointed at the bush right next to the burn marks. I walked into them and positioned myself as if I was filming something.

"Yep. But if the trail isn't Bree's, then it must be hers." I frowned, confused. How could some random girl have bionics?

"Could she be bionic?" Leo asked Douglas, as confused as I was. Douglas shook his head.

"Impossible. The only other person with bionics is…" He trailed off. "Krane."

"But the last time I checked, Krane was a large man, not a teenage girl." I reminded them. Leo looked at Douglas.

"You gave him a cyber mask, didn't you?" he guessed. I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow at Douglas, waiting for the answer.

"I might have." He admitted. I groaned in annoyance, then he continued. "And I might have also given him a full body cyber cloak too."

We stared at him, horrified. "He was only supposed to use it on Halloween!" Douglas defended himself. "Last year, we went as Brad and Angelina."

I sighed. "Douglas, you know I have a lot of respect for your inventing skills." I started. He nodded, grinning arrogantly. "But you sir, are an idiot."

He glared at me, but didn't argue. I mean, how could he?

"So if Douglas is the girl, what do we do now?" Leo asked. Douglas looked terrified.

"I don't know about you two, but I'm slapping on a cyber mask and selling apples by the highway." He declared, running off. I looked at Leo.

"Why are adults are such cowards?" I questioned. He shrugged.

"Maybe it's because we don't know better to not be afraid?" he suggested.

Chase's POV

Tasha and Mr. Davenport had been down in the lab for more than an hour now and even I was starting to get worried. Bree was trying to distract herself by playing with Glitch, although her mind was obviously focused on the agents around us. Adam was playing it cool, trying to start up conversations with the agents.

Suddenly, the elevator doors opened. Tasha and Mr. Davenport ran out. "Good news guys!" Tasha smiled. "They've got nothing on you. You're free to go."

"I never said that." Agent Graham corrected. Mr. Davenport looked at him.

"But you don't have any evidence that-"

"They're bionic humans, I don't need anymore evidence." Agent Graham cut him off. "But I will be taking them away for a much more through examination."

"Where?" Bree asked.

"A secure testing facility in the desert." Agent Graham replied, looking through some paper.

"Ooh. Is it Area 51?" Adam asked.

"No." Agent Graham replied in a bored voice.

"Is it Area 52?" Adam continued asking questions.

"No." Agent Graham replied again.

"Area 53?" Adam tried.

"No!" Agent Graham snapped. Adam grinned.

"He's getting madder. I must be getting closer." He said to Bree and I. I sighed and looked at the agents around us.

"You guys are going to love working with him." I commented. Bree smirked at me, then looked at Agent Graham.

"What about Mr. Davenport? What's going to happen to him?" She asked, worried.

"He's been harbouring unauthorized weapons of mass destruction." Agent Graham told us, as if his answer was obvious. "So he'll be taken into custody, pending my full report."

We all exchanged looks. Mr. Davenport was going to prison and it was all because of us. And there was nothing any of us could do to fix this.

Mr. Davenport glanced at us, then looked back at Agent Graham. "It doesn't matter what happens to me." He said. "But admit it; you're never going to let them go."

"Don't worry." Agent Graham replied. "Lots of people thrive in solitary confinement."

My eyes widened. Solitary confinement? He had to be joking. Please, let him be joking.

"Wait, you're going to split them up?" Mr. Davenport demanded. Agent Graham looked at him.

"Absolutely." He replied, completely serious. "They're too dangerous to leave together, so they'll be separated until they're no longer a threat."

No longer a threat. But with our bionics, and with Agent Graham believing that we were nothing more than 'weapons of mass destruction', we were always going to be considered threatening.

"What does that mean?" Bree demanded, looking at the agent.

"It means you're never going to see each other again." Mr. Davenport informed us. We all looked at each other, the realization that this might be the last time we're together sinking in.

Calla's POV

"…And that's why Krane cloaked himself as the girl and posted the video!" Leo explained to Perry. After discovering Krane's plan, Leo, Douglas and I had come back to the school to figure out or next move.

"He knew the feds would take Adam, Bree, and Chase out of the picture." I added. Perry nodded.

"Okay, just one question." She said. "At any point during your dealings with this Krane guy did my name come up?"

We all exchanged confused looks. "No." Douglas replied. Perry nodded, then started pushing us towards the door.

"Then get out of my school!" She ordered. We dug our feet into the ground, refusing to leave.

"Stop!" Leo exclaimed. "Look, we need to tell someone about Krane! It may not free our family, but maybe the feds can stop him."

Douglas nodded. "Leo's right. We can't waste anymore time."

"Totally agree." Perry nodded eagerly. "Dooley, Parker, you two go back to the house. Douglas and I are going to hunker down in a remote cabin."

Leo and I exchanged glances as she turned to Douglas. "Very remote. Where no one will hear your screams."

Douglas looked like he was about to make a different suggestion, but stopped when the school doors suddenly swung open. We spun around, expecting the feds. Instead, we got something much, much worse.

Krane.

"There you are." He mused, walking in. He smirked at the looks on our faces. "It's always the last place you look, isn't it?"

Perry walked forward, not recognizing the monster in front of us. "If you're the new health inspector, the money's in an envelope marked 'art supplies'." She told him. I glanced at Leo, the looked back at Perry.

"That's Krane." I informed her. She reacted instantly, pushing Leo and I ahead of her.

"Take the defenceless children! But leave me the dreamboat of a man!" She begged. Douglas walked away from her, coming up behind me and Leo.

"How did you find us?" he demanded, glaring at his old partner.

"I've had someone keeping tabs on you." Krane replied. "S-1!"

The dark haired girl from the video walked in, eyes focused on us.

"Wait, so that wasn't you in the cloak?" Leo demanded. "There really is a girl?"

The girl, S-1, smirked. "Sure is." She replied. "Ever been beaten up by one?"

"Do I need to answer that question?" Leo asked. Krane smirked and looked at Douglas.

"S-1 is no mere girl. She's a genetically engineered super soldier."

"She's bionic too?" Douglas questioned. Krane smirked.

"You should be proud. Your technology has come in very handy. I've also upgraded your triton app, so I can control her abilities directly from my brain."

My eyes widened and I looked back at the girl. She grinned arrogantly at me, eyes flashing green.

"Wait, even if she's bionic, she'd have a heat signature." I pointed out.

"It's one of her many abilities." Krane informed us. "She can manipulate her body temperature to adapt to her surroundings."

Why didn't I think of that? That would have been an awesome ability to add to my bionic upgrades!

"Where's this going Krane?" Douglas growled. "What's your plan?"

Krane chuckled. "The world will find out soon enough, but you won't."

He raised a hand, blue energy glowing. Leo leapt to one side while I dived to the other. Douglas backed up as Perry hit the fire alarm. The loud alarm started blasting throughout the building. "Ha! The fire department will be here any minute!" She shouted, much to Douglas' joy. Krane didn't seem worried though.

"Good. Then they can clean up the mess." He declared before blasting both Perry and Douglas with his lightning fingers. They hit the ground, out cold.

"No!" Leo shouted. I stared with wide, stunned eyes. S-1 looked at Krane.

"Can I take care of these two?" she asked, gesturing at Leo and I.

"Of course, just make it hurt." He replied. I froze, my feet refusing to move, while Leo tried to make a run for it. S-1 raised her hand and he was suddenly surrounded by a blue plasma ball, unable to move.

I watched in horror as she shot a plasma ball at a large beam above Leo. She shot another ball at the other end of the beam and it broke off, crashing down onto Leo's exact position.

"Leo!" I shouted, eyes wide. I started towards him, but froze when S-1 turned to me. I gulped. I was weaponless and completely defenceless. And this girl was not holding back.

"Please. Don't do anything you'll regret." I said to her, starting to back up. She smirked.

"Oh, I won't regret this." She assured me. Her hands lit up, another plasma ball appearing. I saw her smirk before she threw it at me.

The pain blow sent me flying backwards, towards the large bench sitting in the middle of the lobby. I felt my head connect with something hard, then nothing.

Douglas' POV

I groaned, forcing my eyes open. The first thing I noticed was the intense pain in my ribcage, as if they were on fire. The second thing I realized was that there was a very heavy principal lying on top of me.

"Are you okay?" Principal Perry asked, clearly having just woken up herself. I groaned in pain.

"Well, I'm alive." I muttered. "But I'm pretty sure I broke some ribs. Mostly because you're on top of me."

She quickly rolled off of me and got up. "Sorry." She apologized as I slowly got to my feet, holding my chest. I looked around, hoping to find the kids. I glanced at the large, broken beam lying in front of the door, then saw the crumpled heap lying near the bench. Calla.

"Oh crap." I muttered, slowly walking over to her. She was lying on her side, eyes closed. The only reason I was sure she was alive was because of the faint rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. I knelt down beside her and shook her shoulder. "Hey kid. Wake up."

She didn't even budge. I shook her again, but there was no response. I slipped my hand under her head, trying to find a bruise when I felt something wet and sticky. Oh, damn. "Hey kid, wake up!"

Again, she didn't move. Suddenly, I heard a shout.

"Help!" My head shot towards the beam, eyes widening.

"Dooley!" Principal Perry exclaimed as we ran over. Leo was on his back, one hand on top of the beam, the other arm completely trapped underneath.

"My arm's pinned underneath the beam." He cried, clearly in a lot of pain. I bent down to try and lift the beam enough for him to pull his arm out, but the second I started to pull, the excruciating pain in my ribs forced me to stop. After my second failed attempt, Principal Perry pushed me out of the way.

"I've got this, Dougy. I once lifted a car off a guy's leg." She told me. "It was the least I can do since I ran him over."

I glanced at her for a brief second before my eyes returned to Leo. Perry knelt down and tried to lift it, but the beam wouldn't budge. "It's hard to get a grip." She complained. "My hands keep slipping on what I hope is red paint."

Leo's eyes widened in horror and he looked back at where his arm was trapped. Suddenly, the sound of sirens grew louder than the fire alarm. I looked outside and saw the massive red truck.

"The firemen are here. I'll go get them." I told them, more for Leo's benefit than Perry's and ran outside.

"The fire alarm was pulled." One of the men said, jogging up to me. I pointed at the school.

"There was an accident." I explained. "We have two injured kids, one of which is trapped under a fallen beam."

The man nodded and ordered his men inside. Meanwhile, I pulled out my phone. I couldn't call Tasha or the house; the feds were likely still there. But I had to call someone. After a second, I made my decision and dialled the number.

Chase's POV

"I can't believe they're going to throw us in solitary confinement." Bree murmured to Adam and I. We were sitting on the couch, closely monitored by several agents. Agent Graham was still going through his report, and Mr. Davenport and Tasha were speaking in the corner by the fridge.

Suddenly, the front door opened. In walked Officer Parker, escorted by two government agents. She was wearing her police uniform and looked very agitated.

"Mrs. Parker?" I questioned, frowning. Could she be here to help us in someway? My single, hopeful thought dissolved when she looked at me. Her gaze was cold, not the kind gaze that she'd given me so many times before when I'd come over for dinner or to hang with Calla.

"And you are?" Agent Graham questioned walking over.

"Officer Nicole Parker of the Mission Creek Police Department." Calla's mom replied. He nodded and shook her hand.

"Ah yes. We spoke over the phone." He nodded. "I thought I made it clear that the government was handling this. No local police involved."

"I'm not here about the…" she trailed off, glancing at us. "About them. I'm here to speak with Mrs. Davenport."

"What's the matter, Nicole?" Tasha questioned. "Is something wrong with Calla?"

My head whipped towards the police officer, hoping that Tasha was wrong. "I just received a call from someone named Douglas." Officer Parker replied. "He told me that there was an accident at the school. Both our children have been brought to the hospital."

"What?" I demanded, eyes wide. Calla and Leo were hurt? How? "Are they okay?"

Officer Parker ignored me. "Oh my god, is my baby alright?" Tasha demanded, jumping to her feet.

"I don't know." Officer Parker replied. Tasha started heading towards the door, the rest of us moving to follow her, but Agent Graham stopped all of us.

"Where do you think you're going?" He demanded.

"The hospital." Bree replied. "Our brother and one of our best friends are hurt. We have to go."

Agent Graham looked at Tasha. "We have no reason to keep you here. You may go." He looked at us. "But only you."

"But-" I started to object, but Agent Graham shook his head.

"You're staying." He ordered, his tone serious. Tasha gave us an apologetic look, then looked at Officer Parker.

"Let's go." She said, both women walking out. The rest of us glared at Agent Graham.

"You have to let us go to the hospital to see Calla and Leo!" I begged. Horrific images of them being hurt flashed across my mind.

"Yeah, we don't even know what happened to them!" Bree pleaded.

"They're injured and this isn't funny like all the times I hurt Chase!" Adam agreed. Agent Graham wasn't convinced.

"You're not going anywhere." He told us. "A military transport will be here any second. You've seen the last of your friends. And each other."

We looked at each other as Mr. Davenport tried to convince Agent Graham. "Please, don't take them. Take me. I'm obviously the brilliant mastermind, the brains behind the brawn, the smart behind the heart."

Bree rolled her eyes. "Even when he's begging, he finds a way to gloat." She commented.

"Go ahead, ask me anything." Mr. Davenport continued. "I bet you're wondering how a forty-three year old continues to defy Father Time."

Agent Graham wasn't amused. "This is happening, whether you like it or not." He told Mr. Davenport. "And for the record, Father Time caught up with you long before we did."

Mr. Davenport stared at him offended. Bree looked at me. "Hey, do you think they're alright?"

I bit my lip, not having an answer for her. Adam saw the look on my face. "I'm sure they are." He assured us both. "Leo's kinda lucky when it comes to avoiding serious injury and Calla's the toughest girl we know."

Bree nodded, smiling gratefully at him, but I was still uncertain. All I knew was that I should be at that hospital, making sure my brother and the love of my life were both okay, rather than sitting here waiting for a stupid military transport to come take us away.

Calla's POV

Knock, knock

I glanced up when I heard the soft knocking on my hospital room door. "Come in."

I assumed it would be my mom, but instead it was Douglas. He looked kinda crappy, with thick white bandages wrapped around his torso. "I heard you were awake." He commented, closing the door behind him. He gestured at the bandages wrapped around my head. "You okay?"

I grimaced. "No, I've got a pounding headache and I feel like I'm going to be sick any minute." I replied irritably. "I got a few stitches, but the concussion's the worst part."

"It could have been worse." Douglas reminded me. I nodded, a concerned look on my face.

"Yeah, how's Leo?" I asked. "One of the nurses said that he hurt his arm pretty badly when that beam landed on it."

"They said he's not going to be able to use his arm again." He told me grimly. I blinked a couple of times, feeling sorry for Leo. He didn't deserve that.

Douglas continued after a moment. "I think I might be able to fix that." He said softly.

"What?" I demanded, looking at him. "How?"

"It's a long story, but I need to get him out of here to do it." He told me. "Are you in?"

I hesitated. Sneaking out of a hospital? "Are you sure you can help Leo?" I questioned uncertainly.

"One hundred percent." He replied. I sighed and climbed out of the hospital bed.

"Alright. Let's go." I agreed.

Chase's POV

I twiddled my thumbs nervously, glancing at the door every other second. I was trying so hard not to think about what was going on; how I was about to be ripped away from my family, how Calla and Leo were in the hospital and I had no idea if they were going to be alright. But thoughts of them being seriously injured and of me never seeing Adam, Bree, Tasha, or Mr. Davenport again wouldn't leave me alone.

Suddenly, the door opened and Agent Graham walked in. "Transport's here." He announced.

Adam shot up right away, grinning. "Shotgun!" he called. An agent leapt on top of him, pinning him to the ground. I almost smiled in amusement at the scene.

"You know, every now and then life just gives you a little gift." I commented to Mr. Davenport as Adam got up.

Agent Graham looked at us. "Hurry up and say your goodbyes." He ordered. Bree and I got up from the couch and the four of us looked at each other.

"I can't believe this." Bree murmured. "We're never going to see each other again!"

There were unshed tears glistening in her eyes. Mr. Davenport was quick to try and reassure her.

"You guys are going to be okay." He told us all soothingly. I sighed.

"You don't know that." I told him.

"I know, that's just something you say!" He defended himself. "What do you want me to tell you? 'You're doomed'? I mean, obviously they're going to conduct experiments on you with probes and-"

"Okay, okay." Bree cut him off before he could continue. "We get it."

He sighed. "Look, I know I didn't give you guys a normal childhood, but I hope I at least gave you a happy one."

"Of course you did." I replied. Bree nodded.

"We can't imagine having a better dad." She agreed. Adam thought about it.

"Well, I can." He commented. "A guy who's half Tom Brady, half golden retriever. I call him Golden Brady."

Mr. Davenport sighed at Adam's idiocy. "I love you guys." He said, pulling us in for one last hug. Agent Graham had to ruin it.

"Alright, that's enough! Get them out of here!" He ordered. Adam pulled away and looked at him.

"You know what? No. You can't do this." He said. "I'm not going."

Agent Graham wasn't pleased. "You heard me! Move!"

"I said no!" Adam snapped back. An agent tried to grab him, but he just pushed him away. "Get off of me!"

"Get the tranquilizer gun!" Agent Graham ordered one of his men. Mr. Davenport leapt in front of us, trying to shield us from harm. But I wouldn't let him get hurt either. Using my telekinesis, I threw the tranquilizer gun pointed at us across the room. "That's it! Take them all down!"

Suddenly, Adam grabbed my arm, shoving me behind him. He did the same with Mr. Davenport and Bree, then used his blast wave. We ducked and watched as the blast hit every agent in the room, knocking them to the ground.

"What now?" Bree questioned, looking at the men.

"RUN!" I shouted at her, already sprinting out of the house.

Calla's POV

"So, what's this big plan of yours?" I questioned as I helped Douglas strap Leo to the massive chair. We were in one of Krane's old hideouts, the one Leo, Tasha and I had previously been held captive in.

"I'm going to use bionics to heal Leo's arm." Douglas replied, already starting up one of the computers. I stared at him, wide-eyed.

"You're going to give Leo bionics?" I gasped. Douglas nodded.

"Yeah, I've got some plans for abilities, like super-strength and laser spheres. I might as well give him those. It's not much, but at least it's something." He replied. Suddenly, I remembered something. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a USB drive. I tossed it to Douglas.

"Could you give him these?" I asked. He glanced at the USB drive, then at me. "Seriously, check them out."

He plugged the USB into the computer and opened up the files for my bionic upgrades. He nodded after a moment. "Now I see why Donny picked you as his assistant. These aren't half bad."

"You think?" I asked. He nodded.

"I can't give him invisibility or telepathy because the bionics are only in his arm, but I can definitely add your pyrokinesis upgrade to the mix."

I grinned, glad that I could help with Leo's bionics. He'd always wanted some and he really deserved them too. Douglas started his work, while I looked around the building. The place was disgusting really; full of dirt and something foul smelling. But then a large pile of scrap metal and parts caught my eye.

"Hey kid?" Douglas called as I sifted through the parts. "Listen, if we have to go up against Krane again, you can't fight him without some sort of weapon."

I nodded, fiddling with what looked like a plasma generator, except it was the size of a quarter rather than two feet tall. "Do you have any suggestions?" I asked.

"I could give you bionics."

I slowly turned around in my seat to face him. "Are you kidding me?" I asked, a little surprised that he'd suggest that.

"I'm dead serious." He replied. I hesitated before answering. Bionics. They were dangerous, but wicked cool. I'd seen everything Adam, Bree, and Chase could do with them.

"I…no." I shook my head. "I want to stay non-bionic."

"Why?" Douglas questioned, confused.

"They're cool, I admit. But I'm not a fighter. I completely panicked today when faced against S-1 and Krane." I told him. Douglas gave me a sympathetic look.

"It's alright to be scared every once in a while, Calla." He told me. I nodded as I continued to go through the pile of junk. I pulled a hand gun out of the pile.

"I know, but…look, my life is crazy. I'm working for a mad scientist, all of my friends – now including Leo – have super powers, and a psychopath tried to kill me. I need some normalcy in my life if I'm going to stay sane."

"I get it." Douglas nodded. I smiled at him.

"Thanks for the offer though." I looked at the gun. "Okay, why does Krane need a handgun if he's bionic?"

Douglas shrugged unhelpfully. "I don't even think the thing's loaded."

I checked the gun and found that he was right. "No ammo, seriously? There goes my idea of using to…" Suddenly, an idea hit me. "I'll be right back. Going to go find some tools."

"There's some in the other room." Douglas offered. I nodded gratefully, then stood up and headed into the other room, still carrying the plasma generator and the handgun. This room was cleaner, with a nice work table and a tool kit. I sat down at the table, and then used a screwdriver to take the gun apart.

Douglas came in a few seconds later. "Leo's bionics should be done soon and his arm's already healing."

I smiled. "Thank god." I looked back at the gloves, then at the plasma generator. Suddenly, I got an idea. "Hey, is there any ammo around here? Bullets or even blanks will work."

"We should, why?" Douglas asked, frowning. I smirked.

"You said I couldn't fight Krane without a weapon. Fine. I'm gonna make a weapon." I replied. Douglas raised an eyebrow, but left to go check the closet. While he was gone, I quickly took the gun apart and inserted the plasma generator. I was glad to have something to do. After everything that had happened today, a distraction from all the bad stuff was just what I needed.

Douglas came back as I was finishing up. "Okay, I found some blanks, but you do realize that they won't kill, right?" He asked, handing a small box to me. I loaded the blanks into the gun and stood up.

"Oh, trust me. This is going to be pretty dangerous." I warned him. "You might want to back up though. This might blow up in my face. Literally."

He did as I asked as I chose my target. There was a pile of metal barrels in the corner, so I chose those. I aimed, then pulled the trigger. A small, lavender plasma ball flew from the gun and hit the barrels so hard they crashed to the ground.

Douglas' eyes widened. "You just built a plasma gun."

I didn't answer at first, instead taking a couple of more shots at the barrel.

"Who needs bionics?" I questioned after a minute, a wide smirk on my face. Okay, maybe I was acting a little cocky about it, but I didn't actually expect that to work.

Douglas chuckled, but before he could say anything, we heard Leo start to shout in the other room.

"HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP! PLEASE!" He was screaming when we entered the room. Douglas ran to his side, trying to calm him down.

"Leo, calm down. Calm down." He patted the shorter boy's shoulder comfortingly. Leo looked at us with wide eyes, still freaking out.

"Where is he?" he demanded. "Where is Krane?"

"He abandoned this place a while ago. The guy's got hideouts everywhere." Douglas explained as Leo looked around frantically. "You should see his torture chamber in palm beach. It's gorgeous."

"He has a torture chamber?" I questioned. Leo looked at me.

"Hey Calla." He offered me a small smile as he finally started to calm down. I smiled back at him. He looked back at his arm, still strapped to the chair and in bandages. "Wait, why am I strapped down? Why are we here?"

"I had to bring you here. It's the only place I knew with the necessary equipment." Douglas explained as he released the straps around Leo's arm.

"Equipment for what?" Leo demanded. I smiled.

"Take the bandage off." I instructed. Leo looked at me, then at Douglas who gave him a reassuring nod. Still hesitant, Leo did as he was told. He ripped the bandage away, then stared in disbelief at his perfectly, undamaged arm. It looked just like it did before he was hurt.

"It's completely healed." He said, bending it as if he expected it not to move. "But how?"

Douglas smiled, crossing his arms. "Go ahead, pretend like you're throwing a baseball."

Leo narrowed his eyes at him. "Is this really the time to make fun of how uncoordinated I am?" he asked. Douglas rolled his eyes.

"Just do it." He ordered. Leo sighed, pulled his arm back, then swung it forward. A small ball of fire flew from it, hitting a large barrel and knocking it to the ground.

Leo stared at his hand, not understanding what was going on. "What did you do?" he questioned. Douglas smiled and put his hand on Leo's shoulder.

"Congratulations Leo. You're bionic." Douglas replied. Leo stared at his hand for a bit, then looked at me.

"Am I dreaming? Pinch me." He ordered. I shrugged, walked over to him, then pinched him in the arm.

"Ow!" he complained, looking at me. "What did you do that for?"

"You asked me to pinch you." I replied shrugging. He stared at me, then started to get out of the chair. Douglas stepped back to give him room, pulled out a chair, and sat down. I backed up as well, but more out of concern for my safety than anything else. I mean, we gave Leo the ability to control fire – that was a disaster waiting to happen. Why did I think it was a good idea?

Leo grinned at me. "Check this out." He said before shooting another fireball. This one went right over Douglas' head, the man ducking just in time to avoid it.

"Easy!" Douglas exclaimed, patting his hair to make sure Leo hadn't burned it. "You almost toasted my tips!"

Leo laughed. "Sorry, I just can't believe I'm bionic!"

Douglas shrugged. "Doctors said you'd never be able to use your arm again and I wasn't about to let that happen, so I used bionic components to save it."

Leo bent his arm back and forth and an odd clicking sound could be heard. "What's that clicking noise?" he questioned. Douglas looked around.

"Oh, I might have left my pen in there." He muttered. Leo and I both looked at him.

"So, I just have the fire balls, or is there more?" Leo asked after a minute.

"It's call pyrokinesis." I muttered. Douglas gestured at me.

"The pyrokinesis was Calla's work, but I added some self defence upgrades seeing as you're pretty much the weak link." He told Leo. Leo looked offended.

"I'm the weak link?" he repeated. "What about Calla?"

I held up my new plasma gun. "I'm not the weak link. I'm Queen Badass."

Douglas rolled his eyes at our bickering. "Your fingers can generate laser spheres and the arm's got bionic strength, so you might want to shake hands lefty from now on. Or maybe just curtsey." He suggested. I beamed.

"Yes, go with the curtsey." I encouraged. Leo gave me a strange look, then decided against saying anything.

"This is awesome!" He exclaimed, arms out. A fire ball flew from his right hand, this time brushing the top of Douglas' hair. He stood up, smoke coming from his head.

"And there go the tips." He muttered, looking rather upset.

Chase's POV

I don't know how long Adam and I hid under that sheet. Honestly, we didn't really think our plan through. We had no idea what rooms numbers Calla and Leo were in, and we couldn't go up and ask in case the feds showed up at the hospital looking for us.

So we waited for a very, very long time until Tasha was close enough for us to ask her. Adam suggested asking Officer Parker at one point, but I didn't think it was such a good idea. The way she looked at us back at the house…I had the feeling that she was on the side of the government in this case.

Eventually though, we heard a familiar voice. "Yay! New water bowl for the kitties!"

"Perry!" Adam hissed. For once, I was actually happy to hear her voice.

"Aw, poor guy. I wonder if there's any jewellery." She said as Adam pushed part of the sheet off. Perry screamed and started attacking us with something hard. "Zombie!"

"Ow! Ow! Stop it! Ow! It's us!" Adam exclaimed as we lifted out heads out of under the sheets. She stepped back, a relieved look on her face.

"Thank goodness." She breathed, then her glare returned. "Why did you scare me like that?" she demanded, hitting us with a bedpan.

"Stop!" I shouted. "Stop, stop." She did as I asked. "Look, we don't have much time; Mr. Davenport and Bree are hiding outside. How's Calla? And Leo?"

Both Adam and I looked at her desperately, praying for good news. She sighed. "Well, we thought they were going to be okay, but then…we lost both of them."

My heart stopped then, my eyes widening in disbelief. No! That couldn't be true! Calla and Leo couldn't be dead, I just couldn't lose them.

"What?" Adam demanded, sounding as horrified as I was. Perry must have picked up on that, because she quickly amended her sentence.

"Sorry, they're no dead, just missing." She assured us. Both Adam and I sighed in relief. Thank God. I didn't know what I'd do without her…and Leo of course.

"We think Krane took them." Perry continued, much to our shock. "So, fifty-fifty."

I stared at her. "Wait, Krane is behind all of this?" I demanded. She nodded. "We have to find Calla and Leo."

Suddenly, Perry looked over into the other hall. "5-O, 5-O." She hissed, covering us with the sheet.

She stepped back and after a moment, we heard her greet someone in a false-cheerful voice. "Hi."

"M'am." The sound of Agent Graham's voice made me freeze. "Have you seen a pasty middle-aged man travelling with three kids?"

"Can't say that I have." I silently thanked Perry for helping us. "But I'll help you look."

"Oh, um…" Agent Graham sounded like he was looking for a way to escape. "Coming!"

I could hear a pair of retreating footsteps, then Perry laughed. "Works every time."

I was about to remove the sheet once more, but stopped when I heard another voice.

"Principal Perry!" That was Calla's mom.

"Hello Officer Parker, what can I do for you?" Perry was always unusually nice around police officers.

"Have they found Calla or Leo?" I heard Officer Parker ask.

"Not yet." Perry replied. "I'm sure they're alright. How much trouble can they get into?"

"You clearly don't know my daughter very well if you have to ask that. It seems like Calla goes looking for trouble half the time." Officer Parker muttered. I smirked, not entirely disagreeing with her. "What about the Davenports? The three bionics? Agent Graham just informed me that they'd escaped."

"I haven't seen them." Perry lied.

"The entire department's been ordered to help find them. I have to leave." There was regret in Officer Parker's voice. "If you see any of those kids, contact me immediately. And if you find Calla, have her call me."

"Will do." Perry agreed. I heard Officer Parker's footsteps heading down the hall.

"Great." I muttered. "Now my girlfriend's mom is trying to capture us too."

"Quiet down!" Perry hissed, hitting us with the bedpan again. Adam and I looked at each other and we made a silent decision. Krane had to be stopped. And we, along with Bree and Mr. Davenport, were going to be the ones to stop him.

Calla's POV

"Come on Douglas, we should get out of here." Leo urged. I nodded.

"Krane could come back." I agreed. Douglas waved us off.

"Just give me five more minutes." He told us, going through the papers on the work desk. "I just want to find some evidence that will get Krane locked up for good."

He looked under the work desk and suddenly gasped. "AHA!" He exclaimed, pulling out a rolled up piece of paper. "Blueprints."

Leo and I looked at the blue prints excitedly, but the smiles fell from our faces when we saw what the blueprints were for. "Those are to add a second bathroom." Leo pointed out. Douglas cursed under his breath and tossed the blueprints away.

"Come on!" I grabbed Leo by the arm and turned around to pull him outside. Instead, we were faced with Krane and S-1.

"Ah!" The three of us jumped back in surprise. Krane looked at us, looking slightly annoyed.

"What is it going to take to finally get rid of you?" he growled. Douglas, Leo, and I exchanged looks.

"Well, now that you mention it…we were just leaving." Douglas started to push me and Leo towards the door, but S-1 stopped us.

"Don't move." Krane ordered. My hand reached towards the plasma gun in my pocket. I was itching to try it out on a moving target and Krane would be the perfect one.

"How'd you find us?" Douglas questioned, glaring daggers at Krane. He chuckled in response.

"I'm always one step ahead of you." Krane replied. Leo smirked.

"Yeah, well I'd like to see you stay one step ahead of this." He raised his hand and shot a fireball. Unfortunately, Leo had never been very good at hand-eye coordination, so the fireball missed Krane by two feet. "Oops."

For once, Krane was caught off guard. "You gave the boy bionics too?" He questioned.

"Well it wasn't easy." Douglas replied. "You have to attach bionics to muscle and well…" he trailed off, gesturing at Leo. Leo looked at him offended.

"Let's do this already!" S-1 exclaimed impatiently. Leo looked at her.

"Alright, bring it cupcake. You're about to meet my new bionic friend." He declared, raising one arm.

"Other arm." I hissed. He switched arms.

"My new bionic friend." He repeated. Krane suddenly raised his hand and shot a fireball of his own at Douglas. This fireball was large, about the size of a basketball, and it sent Douglas flying across the room.

"Not the ribs again!" He cried, writhing in pain. "Would it kill you to spread the pain around?"

I looked at Leo. "S-1's all yours. I want Krane." I told him, before whipping out my gun and shooting at the psychopath.

Krane didn't even flinch. He just raised a hand and a force field appeared in front of him. My plasma balls bounced off harmlessly. "Is that all you've got, girl?" he questioned. He waved his hand and my weapon flew to the other side of the room. I gulped nervously.

"Yeah, pretty much." I replied. I started to run, but Krane grabbed me by the back of my shirt. He roughly threw me against the wall next to Douglas.

"Nice try kid." Douglas whispered to me. I looked over at Leo, who was clearly doing just as bad as the rest of us.

S-I had his arm (the non-bionic one) pinned up behind his back, stopping him from doing anything. He glared at her. "Try that with my right hand, I dare you." He growled. She rolled her eyes and threw him over beside us.

"I'm so sorry kids, this is all my fault." Douglas apologized. He looked at us expectantly.

"If you're waiting for an 'it's okay, don't worry about it' it's not coming." Leo snapped.

Suddenly, the door burst open. Adam, Bree, Chase and Mr. Davenport ran in. "Leo!" "Calla!" Mr. Davenport and Chase cried. Douglas looked at them, offended.

"And Douglas!" He exclaimed. Mr. Davenport glanced at us.

"Calla, Leo, are you okay?" he asked. We both nodded.

"I'm alright." "Not dead yet." We replied. Douglas looked at his brother.

"Doing fine here too, thanks." He said sarcastically. Chase's eyes locked on S-1.

"That's the girl who filmed us." He said. Mr. Davenport glared at Krane.

"Let them go." He ordered. Krane smirked.

"Oh, I'm not letting any of you go." He replied. They all got into fighting positions.

They were about to attack when Adam suddenly exclaimed "Wait!"

He walked up to S-1, then grinned. "I don't think we've met. I'm Adam." He held out his hand for her to shake.

"Seriously?" I muttered. S-1 didn't look amused though. She punched Adam in the chest, clearly using her super strength, and he was sent flying back across the room. Everyone else stared at the girl in surprise.

"She's bionic!" Chase realized.

"And has super strength." Bree added. Adam walked back over to his siblings.

"Hey, you wouldn't be interested in making a trade, would you?" Adam asked, gesturing at Chase, then at S-1. Chase rolled his eyes, then narrowed them at Krane.

"You sure you want to do this?" he asked. I sighed. It was just like Chase to give him a chance to run. "It's four against two. It hardly seems fair."

Krane just laughed. Leo and I stood up then and looked at Krane. No panicking this time. This time, we were going to fight. "You mean six against two." Leo corrected.

"Oh come on!" Douglas complained, standing behind one of the work benches. "What? Am I invisible here?"

Krane didn't hesitate for another moment. He raised his hands and a fiery version of Adam's blast wave exploded from his body. Everyone hit the floor, stunned from the blast. Krane looked at the others, then his gaze landed on Mr. Davenport.

"Why don't I start with you?" he asked, raising his hand. Suddenly, Mr. Davenport was pulled upwards by an invisible hand. He gasped weakly for breath as Krane used his telekinesis to choke him. After a second, Krane threw Mr. Davenport back onto the ground.

Adam, Bree, and Chase jumped to their feet and turned to face Krane and S-1. Adam glanced at S-1, then at his sister.

"Bree you got this?" He asked. Then, not waiting for an answer, replied. "Good, thanks."

Bree swung at S-1, but missed as the other girl did a flip backwards. Then engaged in a superspeed battle then. It was confusing to watch, and impossible to see who was winning.

Meanwhile, Krane faced Adam and Chase. They threw as many punches and back fists as possible at the man, but he managed to block, dodge, and counter every single swing. Adam swung at his head, only to get sucker-punched in the stomach. Chase tried a back fist, but Krane grabbed his wrist and kicked him hard. Then, using one of his lightning abilities, he threw the two away from him. He then grabbed then using his telekinesis, and pushed the two together. They fell to the ground with a groan.

I looked at Leo. "You help the boys, I'll help Bree?" I suggested. He nodded and I snuck away to grab my weapon. The entire time I was watching the fight between both super speeders with quick eyes, trying to make out the different moves.

Bree threw a punch at S-1, but the other girl stopped it and grabbed Bree's arm. "Too bad this is the last time I'll see you guys. Your brother's kind of cute." She commented. Bree pulled away and punched S-1 in the stomach.

"Adam?" she questioned. They engaged in another super speed fight. When they broke away, S-1 was grinning.

"No, the other one." She replied. I stopped, my hand inches away from my weapon. Hold up. Did she just call Chase cute? I was the only one allowed to do that!

Bree tried to kick S-1 and they fought some more. At some point in the fight, Bree pushed S-1 away, then looked at her as if she was crazy. "Chase? I thought Calla was the only one crazy enough to find him attractive!"

"Thanks Bree." I muttered, grabbing my weapon just as S-1 swept her foot out from underneath my best friend. Bree landed on her stomach, a groan escaping her lips.

S-1 stood above her, about to finish her off. I aimed my gun, but apparently, Leo wanted to finish her off himself.

"Now I've got her!" He exclaimed, throwing one of his fireballs. He missed, but hit Krane in the face. The psycho hit the ground hard. Adam, Bree, Chase, and Mr. Davenport stared him in shock. He just grinned. "Okay, I'll take it."

"Mr. Krane!" S-1 shouted, a little stunned. I took advantage of the opportunity. I pulled the trigger on my plasma gun. The plasma ball hit S-1 in the shoulder, knocking her to the ground. She hit her head on the way down, unconscious.

Every one in the room – except for Krane and S-1 – was staring at Leo. "Did you see what Leo did?" Chase gasped. Adam nodded.

"Yeah, when did Leo learn how to throw?" Adam demanded. Mr. Davenport looked at Douglas.

"I can't believe you gave bionics to Leo!" He exclaimed. Douglas looked at his brother.

"Well it saved your life!" He snapped back. Mr. Davenport looked like he was about to completely panic.

"No it didn't! Tasha's gonna kill me!" He exclaimed. Suddenly, men starting running in the door. We all backed up, Chase's hands wrapping around my waist and pulling me to him. I stared in shock as Agent Graham and my own mother stormed in.

"Alright boys, round them up." Agent Graham ordered. "Use your tranquilizer guns if you have to."

"No!" A small cry escaped me and I hugged Chase tighter. I looked at my mom, tears in my eyes, as I silently begged her not to take Chase away from me. Chase's grip on me tightened as he planted a soft kiss on my forehead.

"Wait!" Douglas exclaimed, stopping the agents. "You're arresting the wrong people."

He pointed at Krane. "This is the man you want. Victor Krane, he's a sociopath who's been implanting himself with bionics. And now he's turned her," he gestured at S-1, "into a bionic soldier. If you don't stop him now, he could create more and have an entire army."

Agent Graham considered it, then looked at Douglas. "And you are?"

Douglas smirked. "Douglas Davenport. There's no official record of me because I faked my own death."

I shook my head. Dude, that's not something you want to be bragging about. Mr. Davenport gave Douglas a symbol to stop talking and he seemed to realize his mistake. "But I'm very credible." He added.

Agent Graham sighed. "Alright. Take them into custody."

Suddenly, Krane jumped up, looking quite furious. "I don't think so!" He exclaimed, shooting a fireball at Agent Graham and my mom.

Bree sped forward and pulled both of them out of the way in time to save them. Adam spun around and shot his heat vision at Krane, putting him out of commission.

"You saved us." Agent Graham said, looking at Bree. He glanced at the rest of us. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Bree replied. "Like we keep telling you, we help people."

Bree walked back over to us and got a small hug from Adam and a smile from Chase. Agent Graham looked at Krane and S-1.

"Restrain these two before they wake up." He ordered. Douglas shoved a pair of large, glowing handcuffs into Agent Graham's hands.

"Here. Use these to cuff them. They've got a bionic signal interrupter." He explained. My mom looked at him as Agent Graham handed the cuffs off to his agents.

"Why would you have these?" she asked. Douglas hesitated.

"Uh…I help people too." He replied. My mom gave him a look that clearly said she didn't believe him.

"What about them?" One of the agents asked. Before Agent Graham could reply, my mom grabbed his arm.

"Agent Graham, can I have a word?" she requested. He frowned, but nodded and both of them headed outside.

"And now we're right back where we started. About to be arrested." Bree muttered. Chase sighed, then looked at me.

"You should go." He advised. I frowned.

"What? Go where?" I question, not understanding.

"Go with your mom or something." He insisted. "You might not get in trouble if you leave."

"I'm not leaving." I replied firmly, my decision already made. Chase glanced at the agents, who still had their tranquilizer guns out.

"Calla, these guys will not hesitate to use their weapons on you, whether or not you're the police chief's daughter." He told me. "I'm not going to see you get hurt…again." He added, gesturing at the bandages around my head.

I sighed. "Chase…" I shook my head, a faint smile on my face. "I love you and I love how you're always trying to protect me, but there's no way in hell I'm going to let that monster take you away."

Chase opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. "Chase?" I said hesitantly, worried that something was wrong. He smiled at me.

"You…You love me?" he breathed, his voice barely above a whisper. I smirked.

"Well, duh." I replied. He chuckled.

"I love you too." He murmured before pressing his lips to mine. One of the best things about kissing Chase was how the rest of the world seemed to fade away, as if they no longer mattered. We were so caught up in each other's love that we didn't notice my mom and Agent Graham re-enter the room.

"Ahem." I pulled away at the sound of my mother's voice. I ducked my head, blushing. "Are you two finished?" She asked, looking at us with a sparkle of amusement in her eyes.

"Yes m'am." Chase muttered, hands still on my waist. She nodded.

"Good. You're all free to go." She announced. We stared at her, but this didn't seem to be a trick. The agents started to leave, dragging both Krane and S-1 out with them.

"Are…are you serious?" Bree asked, eyes wide. Agent Graham nodded.

"Yes. There are…conditions." He told us. "But you're free to go home and be with your family and…friends." He added. He looked at Mr. Davenport. "We'll be speaking later."

He walked out without another word. My mom looked at me. "I'll be waiting in the car."

She nodded respectfully at Mr. Davenport, then left. "We're seriously free to go?" Bree asked again, as if she couldn't believe it. I didn't think any of us could.

"I…guess so." Mr. Davenport grinned. He led us outside, the rest of us still tense in case it was a trap. But the only cars within view were my mom's police cruiser and Mr. Davenport van.

"I can't believe this." Chase murmured, eyes alit with relief and happiness.

"They're letting us go." Adam had the same tone of disbelief in his voice. Bree nodded.

"We're free." She agreed. I smirked.

"Well, I would suggest a party, but I have the feeling I might be grounded for escaping the hospital." I told them. Chase sighed.

"You know what today is, don't you?" He asked me. I nodded.

"Our anniversary." I replied. He nodded.

"I wanted to make it special. Something you'd never forget." He murmured.

"Chase, I seriously doubt I'm ever going to forget today." I pointed out. He gave me a look. "But it's sweet that you wanted to make it special."

"I got you a present." He told me. I smiled.

"So did I. It's in my backpack…which come to think about it, is still in the lab." I remembered. He nodded. "I've got an idea."

"What's that?" He asked. I smiled.

"We can't really do anything tonight, so why don't we have a make-up anniversary date tomorrow?" I suggested. He nodded.

"If you're not grounded." He reminded me. I smirked.

"I'll sneak out if I have to." I replied. He chuckled. "I really do need to go now."

"Yeah, I know. Come over later though." He requested. I nodded and he kissed me again. "I love you."

"I love you too." I whispered back before heading off to the car. I climbed into the passenger seat and watched as the Davenports drove away.

My mom turned to me. "How's your head? Do you want me to stop at the drug store to get some Advil?"

I shook my head. "Mom, what did you say to Agent Graham?" I asked, confused. She smiled and started up the car.

"I told him that there must be a better way to utilise their abilities than locking them up." She replied. I frowned.

"So you suggested that he just use them like weapons?" I questioned. She glanced at me.

"It was the best I could come up with. What did you want me to say? 'Hey, can you let the bionics kids go because my daughter is dating one of them'?"

I thought about it. "You have to admit, his reaction to that would be hilarious." I commented. She sighed.

"Yes, I guess it would be." She agreed. I looked down at my hands.

"I'm sorry for lying to you. And for being so rude this morning." I apologized.

"And for sneaking out the hospital?" Mom questioned. I nodded, grinning sheepishly.

"Yeah, that too." I agreed. Mom sighed.

"Alright, I understand why you kept your friends' secret. And maybe I was a little too hasty to judge them. But no more lies and no more secrets, am I clear?" She asked. I nodded. "Good."

"Thanks Mom." I grinned at her. She smiled back.

"But you're still grounded for lying and running away from the hospital." She reminded me.

"Yeah, I know." I sighed.

Xxx

It had been two days since Krane was arrested and so far, things had been weird. No was going to school at the moment. Mr. Davenport insisted that Adam, Bree, and Chase stay home due to their new fame as bionic superhumans, and since being their brother would put Leo in the spotlight at school, he was staying home as well.

As for me, my mom practically ordered me to stay home and rest due to my head injury. I'd taken the week off work as well, because the almost constant headache was making it difficult to focus on my inventions.

Agent Graham had kept his word about letting Adam, Bree, and Chase go free. Aside from a couple of visits, and the press conference that they were all at now, the agent had mostly left them alone.

Chase and I had gone out the night before, as a make-up date and it was incredible. I mean, sure people kept staring at us while we were in the restaurant, but we managed to ignore them. I'd given Chase his gift – a brand new watch – and he'd loved it. Almost as much as I adored my new necklace. It was a simple silver chain with a red ruby heart on it. It was the prettiest and nicest thing anyone's ever given me.

Anyway, at the moment, Leo, Douglas (who was still recovering from breaking a couple of ribs) and I were sitting on the couch at the Davenport's. Adam, Bree, Chase, and Mr. Davenport were at the press conference that we were all waiting for.

Tasha shook her head in disbelief, examining Leo's arm. "That beam weighed hundreds of pounds and there's not even a scar. How is that possible?"

"Well, first I used a-" Douglas began. I kicked him in the shin and motioned for him to shut up.

"I moisturize." Leo lied to his mom. She raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't question it. Suddenly, there was a knocking on the door. While Tasha went to answer it, Leo and I looked at Douglas.

"She will freak out. Do not tell her I'm bionic." Leo ordered. Douglas nodded and we looked to see who was at the door.

"Principal Perry, come on in." Tasha greeted with a warm smile. "And for the first time, I actually mean it."

We smiled at Perry as she walked in. According to both my mom and Tasha, she'd actually been pretty concerned about us when we went missing from the hospital. Apparently, nearly dying together makes us bonded. Or something like that.

"I just came to check on my little fella." She said with a smile. Leo grinned and started to stand up.

"Aww, that's nice-" "Not you." Perry cut him off, pushing him back on the couch. She sat down between Leo and Douglas, smiling at the man.

"This little fella!" She exclaimed, rubbing his hair. Douglas looked absolutely terrified as Perry started to go through a bag that she'd brought with her. "I brought you a gift from the hospital to make you feel better."

She pulled out a large, yellow balloon. Douglas read the words on the front. "'Get well Grandma'?" He questioned.

"Yeah, it didn't work for her, but maybe it will bring you some luck."

Suddenly, the television screen changed. "The press conference is starting!" Tasha announced, turning the volume up.

The screen showed Adam, Bree, and Chase in their mission suits, standing behind Agent Graham and Mr. Davenport.

"The rumours you've been hearing are true." Agent Graham announced. "There are bionic humans living among us. But after a thorough investigation I, Agent Graham – that's with an H – have determined they are not to be feared. They are just like us."

Agent Graham stepped back and Chase stepped up to the microphones. "Hi. I'm Chase. This is my brother Adam, and my sister Bree." He introduced them. "And yes, we are bionic superhumans. For years, we've been going on top secret missions-"

"Yeah, you remember that runaway train full of nucloneum that almost blew up Welkerville?" Adam interrupted Chase. "That was us."

"Idiot." I muttered to myself. There were horrified gasps from the reporters at the press conference. Chase was quick to fix his brother's mistake though.

"No, no, no. We didn't cause it, we stopped it." He assured the crowd. He stepped back to let Bree speak and gave Adam a stern glare.

"You didn't know about these missions because we weren't sure if the world was ready to accept us." Bree said. "But now that our secret's out-"

Adam pushed Bree to the side. "Let's get to know me. I enjoy long walks on the beach, easting stuff, and punching this guy." To demonstrate, he punched Chase in the chest.

Chase hit Adam and glared at him. "Why do you always do that?"

"Were you not listening? It's what I like to do!" Adam replied. Chase punched him again, then both boys started attacking each other. Agent Graham tried to intervene, but couldn't stop them as they fought all over the stage. In the midst of their fight, they managed to break the sign behind them and rip the curtains.

"No, no, no." "Stop it." Leo and I begged, although we were both aware that they couldn't hear us. Those idiots! Did they not realize that they were on live TV?

Bree quickly stepped in front of the microphones, trying to distract the audience and viewers from the disaster behind her. "So, any questions?" she asked, struggling to be heard over her brothers' fighting.

Tasha quickly turned off the TV. I looked at Leo. "You have to admit, it could have gone a lot worse."

He nodded his agreement, a smirk on his face. Perry sighed suddenly.

"Enough of this junk. Let's see if there's a romantic comedy on, like maybe something about a rugged bad boy inventor," She looked at Douglas while we all had weirded out looks on our faces, "and his suburban ginger haired princess with legs that just won't quit."

She raised her leg onto Douglas' lap, while the rest of us tried to look away. Douglas moved the leg off of his, then looked at us for help.

"Why don't I just give you the remote?" Tasha questioned, holding it out to Perry. She got up and took it from her.

"It's about time." She muttered. Tasha walked over to the other side of the couch.

"Good luck with that, Dougy." She said to Douglas as she sat down next to me. Leo turned to our principal.

"Principal Perry, I just wanted to say thanks for looking out for Calla and I." He told her. I nodded.

"Yeah, thanks. Good to know you care." I agreed. She smiled.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll admit that I care about you two a little bit." She said. She held her hand out. "Put it there."

Leo took her hand to shake it and an audible crack could be heard. Perry cried out in pain, and Leo's eyes widened.

"Not that hand!" Douglas exclaimed. Leo let go and Perry clutched her definitely broken hand in pain. Tasha looked at us with wide eyes.

"Did someone give my son bionics?" she demanded. Douglas panicked.

"I can explain. But," he pushed Leo towards his mom, "it'd be better coming from him."

He ran from the room, while Tasha grabbed Leo's arm to look it over.

Chase's POV

We looked around at all the wreckage around us. "Well, that went well." Mr. Davenport smiled, tossing the branch of a fake tree to the ground. He actually didn't seem as upset about the fight as I thought he would. He looked at us. "Alright guys, get ready. As soon as you walk out that door, your lives are going to chance forever. It's about time you guys get credit for all the good that you do."

We all smiled at him. "Thank you Mr. Davenport, but we'll always be a four person team." I promised him.

He smiled back at me, then turned to face Agent Graham, who had just walked in. "Agent Graham, I just wanted to thank you for letting the kids come home and hearing us out."

Agent Graham nodded. "Actually, I should be the one that should be thanking you. Without you, we wouldn't be in control of the ultimate weapon."

Mr. Davenport frowned. "We? What do you mean we?"

"You're not in charge of these three anymore. This is my show now." Agent Graham replied. "From this point forward, they work for me."

We all stared at him as he walked away. Work for him? It suddenly hit me just how correct Mr. Davenport was when he told us that our lives were going to change forever.

S-1's POV

Prison sucked. It really, really sucked. I looked at Mr. Krane, angry.

"What are we going to do?" I demanded. He crossed his arms and for some reason, looked perfectly comfortable.

"Not to worry." He assured me. "We may be in prison, but our power runs far beyond this little cage."

I stared at him, not understanding. "Your bionic brothers and sisters will make sure of it. Rise, my bionic soldiers. Rise."

My mind instantly flashed to all the other bionic soldiers that also worked for Mr. Krane. I smirked. This was going to be fun.


	18. Never Normal Again

Calla's POV

"I can't believe our moms are actually making us do this." Leo complained, staring up at the school. Because of everything that had happened, the five of us had opted to stay out of the public eye. Which also meant staying away from school. Adam, Bree, and Chase still weren't going to school yet. I think Davenport wanted to keep them away as long as possible for things to die down, but I wasn't sure how much longer he could wait. Everyone was getting pretty bored and I didn't blame them. I'd go crazy if I was stuck in my basement for a couple of weeks.

As for Leo and I, this was our first day back. Leo didn't want to go at all and he'd already made that abundantly clear to me. I practically had to drag him here from his house to stop him from running off. I didn't understand why he was in such a bad mood. I, for one, missed going to school. I was probably falling behind in my classes already and besides, I wanted to go chat with my friends Jessica and Kaitlin. I hadn't seen either of them since before the video went viral.

"Hey, maybe it won't be that bad." I offered optimistically. He gave me a look.

"You maybe. I mean, how many people even know that you work for Big D?" He questioned. I shrugged, unsure of the number. "But I'm related to Adam, Breen and Chase, and they all know that!"

"Come on, Leo." I sighed. "It'll be fine."

He nodded, re-adjusted his backpack, and walked up the stairs to the school. I followed shortly behind him.

The school hallway was full of students and a couple of teachers. Most kids were still half-asleep, but there were a number of them talking animatedly about their weekends and the new school semester starting in a couple of weeks. It was as normal a Monday as we could have hoped for.

I immediately spotted Kaitlin and Jessica chatting in a corner. Judging by the way Kaitlin's hands were moving, she was excited about something. I grinned and jogged over to them. "Morning." I greeted.

Kaitlin stopped midsentence and turned to look at me. My smile fell slightly at the hard stare she gave me. "Oh, hey Calla." She greeted, her tone cold. I blinked in surprise; that wasn't the welcome back I expected.

"Everything alright?" I asked, confused. She looked back at me.

"Um, that depends. Is Chase around?" She asked. I shook my head, still frowning.

"No. He's at home. Why?" I questioned. She let out a relieved sigh.

"It's just…you know what he is, right?" She questioned. I sighed.

"Yes, I know that he's bionic. What's the big deal?" I asked. Jessica gaped at me.

"Big deal? Your boyfriend is half robot!" She exclaimed. I stared at her.

"Okay, bionic does not equal robot. Why does everyone think they're robots?" I questioned. Seriously, the robot thing was getting old! "And you know that your boyfriend is bionic too, right?"

"Um…" Jessica trailed off. I looked at her, concerned.

"You and Adam are still a couple, right?" I asked, eyes wide. She shrugged.

"I don't know." She mumbled.

"Jessica!" I snapped. "You'd seriously break up with a guy because he's bionic? Excuse me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure superpowers are a good thing, not a bad one."

She gave me a hard look. "What about lying, then?" She demanded. "All those times Adam 'had to go to the dentist' or 'was sick' he was really going on those top secret missions."

I sighed. "He wasn't allowed to tell you the truth. It wasn't like he was trying to hurt you or anything. If anything, he kept it a secret to protect you."

"How does that work?" Kaitlin questioned. I glanced at her.

"They told me the truth a while ago." I omitted Jaden's name on purpose. The less people thought he knew, the better. "And since then, I've been kidnapped and nearly killed on many occasions. Trust me when I tell you that it was better than you didn't know."

"Well, it's not really that he lied to me." Jessica told me. "It's the fact that I believed him every single time."

"So?" I questioned. Jessica sighed.

"Look, every time he lied to me, he had me believing him completely. How am I supposed to be able to tell if he's lying to me in the future?" I opened my mouth to try and defend him, but she didn't give me the chance. "Look, I'm just not sure if things are going to work out between us."

I sighed in defeat. "Alright, I guess it's none of my business anyway. But Jess? I think you should at least try and talk things out with him. Adam really does care about you."

She shrugged. Kaitlin looked at me then. "Speaking of lies, how many have you told us?"

I frowned, confused. "What do you mean?" She gave me a look. "Whoa, I'm not bionic, if that's what you're asking."

"Yeah, but you had to lie to us to keep their secret, right?" She questioned. "And what about all those times you skipped class with them and told us that it was because of some stomach bug?"

"Kaitlin…" I started to say, but then the bell rang. Kaitlin sighed.

"Whatever. Bye Calla." She told me, walking away. Jessica gave me an apologetic look, but ran off after her, leaving me standing all by myself.

Xxx

"So, how's your day going so far?" I grumbled to Leo as I slumped down in the seat next to him. I'd only been through half my classes, yet I was already considering skipping the rest of the day.

Kaitlin and Jessica had only been the first of bad reactions to the bionic news. Most kids seemed either scared or disturbed at the thought of bionic superhumans. There were a few kids that thought they were cool, but not many. Even the teachers had given me weird looks when I had asked for Adam, Bree, and Chase's homework to bring them.

"Everyone kept staring at me during gym class because they thought I was about to start flying or shooting lasers from my eyes." Leo replied, poking at his mystery meat sandwich. "And none of my friends are talking to me."

"Not even Janelle?" I asked sympathetically. Janelle had never liked being around Davenport's technology (something about her always getting hurt) and I figured that finding out that her boyfriend's family was bionic wouldn't exactly raise her opinion of him.

Leo shrugged. "She's not at school today, so I don't know." He replied. Suddenly, something behind me caught his eye. "Cheating ex, twelve o'clock." He hissed at me, trying to give me a warning.

I sighed irritably as Caleb Jones sat down beside me. He smiled at me. "Hey Calla. Glad to see you back at school."

"What do you want, Caleb?" I questioned, trying to keep my tone flat. He opened his mouth to reply, but stopped himself when he saw the glare Leo was giving him.

"Leo, can I, uh, have a moment alone with Calla?" He asked hesitantly. Leo crossed his arms and didn't move. Caleb gave me a pleading look and I sighed. He wasn't going to give in.

"Leo." I said simply. He looked at me and I jerked my head towards another table. It was far enough that he wouldn't be able to eavesdrop, but close enough for him to see if I was losing my temper. He glanced at Caleb, but did as I asked. "Alright Caleb," I sighed once we were alone. "This had better be good."

"I heard you were in the hospital. Are you alright?" His tone was laced with concern. I nodded.

"I'm fine, but my concussion isn't what you came over here to talk about, is it?" I questioned. He sighed and shook his head.

"No, I…well, I came here to apologize." He admitted, much to my amusement. "I screwed up, Calla. I know that."

"Haven't you given me that line before? Because I'm getting a distinct sense of déjà-vu." I commented, taking a drink from my bottle of water.

"This is different." Caleb objected. I rolled my eyes.

"How?" I asked, deciding to humour him. He sighed.

"I'm not looking to try and be your boyfriend. You deserve better than me." He told me. I nodded.

"Oh, I deserve a whole lot better than you." I agreed, not caring how that made me sound. He nodded.

"I know. And Chase, well he's a lucky guy." He sighed. "What I'm trying to say is, I'm glad you have someone who treats you so well. You deserve to be happy."

I hesitated before responding. This was not how I expected this conversation to go. "I…thank you, Caleb." I replied after a long moment. He nodded.

"As for me, I was hoping we could be friends." He continued, flashing me a hopeful smile. "Nothing more; I wouldn't dare take advantage of you a third time."

"Yeah, you're not THAT stupid." I agreed, causing him to chuckle. I sighed. "Why are you doing this, Caleb? Why now?"

He gave me a soft smile. "After everything crazy that's been happening, I figured you would need something normal in your life. Someone that's not connected to all this bionic stuff."

I looked at him, studying him. "You really just want to be friends?" I asked skeptically. He nodded.

"I care about you, Calla. And even if I can't be your boyfriend, I still want to be part of your life." Caleb had hurt me in the past. Really hurt me. But the way he smiled, the way he sounded so sincere…

"I'll think about it, okay?" I looked at him. He nodded.

"That's all I'm asking for." He replied, standing up. "I'll see you around, Calla."

"Yeah, you too." I replied, watching as he walked away. In a matter of seconds, Leo was back in his seat and looking at me.

"You okay? Was he badmouthing Chase or trying to flirt with you?" He inquired suspiciously. I shook my head.

"No." I replied after a moment. Leo frowned.

"Then what did he want?" He asked, confused. I looked back at my lunch, smiling.

"I THINK he was actually trying to be a good friend." I replied. Leo made a face.

"You're not actually going to be friends with him, right?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Probably not." I replied, the conversation repeating itself in my head.

Bree's POV

"Hey Leo, how school?" I asked as my step-brother walked in through the front door. He gave me a look that told me it didn't go well.

"Let's see. My girlfriend didn't show up, I failed my history test, and people kept staring at me. It's like they thought I was bionic." He complained. Adam looked at him.

"But you are bionic." He pointed out. Leo rolled his eyes.

"Yes, but they don't know that. Oh, but on the upside, Trent is too scared of you guys to mess with me." He replied, grinning. Chase smirked, then looked at the door as if he expected it to open.

"Hey, where's Calla?" He asked, confused. I rolled my eyes. He'd been so annoying today, the way he'd been texting Calla every second between classes. I know that he was bored and missing her, but seriously Chase, let the girl breathe!

"She left early because she had to do something. She wouldn't tell me what." Leo replied. "Oh, and don't ask how her day was. She'll bite your head off."

"That bad?" Chase guessed. Leo nodded.

"Apparently, Kaitlin and Jessica are pissed – by the way Adam, you might want to talk to your girlfriend and soon – then someone stole her physics text book." He replied with a shrug. He looked at Chase. "Oh, and Caleb was bothering her at lunch."

My eyes narrowed. "Lovely, yet another stupid guy trying to ruin a girl's life." I muttered. Leo looked at me, then at Adam and Chase.

"Okay, what's her problem?" He asked, confused. Chase smirked.

"She's just upset because Jaden hasn't texted her since the video went out." Adam replied. I sighed in frustration.

"Well, Mr. Davenport won't let me go visit him using the geo-leaping bracelet and I just don't understand why he's ignoring me!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in frustration. Suddenly, the door bell rang. I walked around the counter and stormed over to the front door to open it.

"Maybe Jaden found a new girlfriend." Adam suggested. I stopped, my hand on the doorknob, and turned to look at him. I wasn't the only one – Leo and Chase were both looking at him, stunned. "What? I hear Australian girls are extremely hot."

"You know what? Jaden's probably off being some stupid idiot." I replied. I threw open the front door, turned to see who was there and…I froze.

I was greeted by amused blue eyes, half hidden under a mop of brown hair, and an easygoing smirk. The boy in front of me laughed at my stunned expression.

"Well?" He asked after a moment. "Are you going to let this stupid idiot in, or am I going to be standing here all day?"

I blinked once. Then I blinked again. Then…

"JADEN!" I screamed, tackling the older boy in a hug. He laughed, lifting me off my feet and spinning me in a circle as his lips crashed into mine. I could hear the others, chuckling and teasing me in the background, but I didn't care.

"But I thought…you were in Australia…" I breathed as he pulled away. He smirked and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear.

"I came back for you." He murmured. A voice cleared from behind him and he quickly added, "And my lovely sister."

He stopped, then looked at Calla, who was standing behind him. "Actually, cancel that. I came back for Bree." He told her. She rolled her eyes and pushed past us.

"Jerk." She muttered, walking into the house. Jaden grinned.

"She says that now. Wait until she sees what I got her from Sydney." He whispered to me. I looked at him.

"What did you get her?" I asked. His smirk grew.

"A plastic spider the size of a dinner plate." He replied. I laughed, entwining my hand with his.

"You really came back for me?" I asked, smiling at him. He nodded.

"I saw the video online and well…I knew that I had to be here for you." He told me. "Are you guys okay?"

"I am now." I leaned forward to kiss him again, this time not rushing the kiss as much. "So, are you here to stay? For good?"

"I'll stay as long as you want me to." He replied. He walked into the house, still holding my hand. "So, you guys miss me, or what?"

"Depends, are you going to be making out with my sister twenty-four seven?" Adam questioned. Jaden looked like he was about to answer, but Calla didn't give him the chance.

"Come on guys, let's give the love birds some privacy." She instructed, starting to usher everyone else towards the lab doors. "Besides, my work load has been doubled since the viral video and I'm going to need some help."

Jaden watched them go with a confused smile. "Calla's admitting that she needs help? That's not normal." He commented. I sighed.

"Really Jaden, I don't think that things are ever going to be normal again." I murmured, kissing him on the cheek.


	19. Bionic 500

Calla's POV

"Hey Calla, are you coming?" Chase called from the living room as I made my way onto the main floor. He was sitting on the couch, along with Jaden, Bree while Leo and Adam were on the floor. I sighed.

"Chase, I've got a ton of work to do. You know that." I reminded him. He gave me a look and pointed at the empty spot next to him.

"Sit." He instructed. "You need a break."

I sighed again, knowing that he wasn't giving me a choice. I sat down on the couch next to him and grumpily stole the bowl of popcorn out of his hands. He chuckled at my annoyed expression.

"Oh come on Calla! I thought you loved watching Joey's races!" He said. I rolled my eyes.

"I don't remember saying that." I lied. Jaden chuckled.

"Please. You've always loved professional racing." He teased. He looked at Chase. "Did she ever tell you about the massive obsession she had with Hot Wheels when she was little?"

"Hot Wheels, really?" Chase asked, amused. I grabbed a pillow and threw it at my brother.

"Shut up!" I exclaimed, embarrassed. As if he had never had a childhood obsession with something weird. I briefly considered bringing up his crush on Sailor Moon, but before I could embarrass my older brother, Adam cut into our conversation.

"Guys! It's starting!" He told us as the race began.

"I hope Joey wins." Bree murmured. "You know, we should go see him again sometime."

"Hold on. Again?" Jaden looked at her, confused. "You've met Joey Logano? In person?"

Bree frowned. "Well yeah, we all have." She replied. He looked at her incredulously.

"Where was I?" He demanded.

"Football game in Frezno, remember? Trent and you had to share a hotel room and you were complaining about his snoring." I reminded him. Jaden looked at all of us.

"You guys seriously met Joey Logano?" He demanded again. We all nodded. "How?"

"Well…"

FLASHBACK

Chase's POV

I groaned in protest as the sound of an engine entered my dreams. Couldn't the driver keep it down? I was trying to sleep here! Unfortunately, the sounds just seemed to get louder and louder.

I forced my eyes open with a scowl, and saw that my siblings were both awake as well.

"Don't tell me it's the stupid new neighbour again!" Bree complained as she stepped out of her capsule. Adam and I followed her upstairs, the sound getting louder as we did. "Ugh! He has got to go!" She screeched in frustration.

"Why does he keep racing his car up and down our street every night?" I questioned as Leo slowly walked down from his bedroom, looking as annoyed as us.

"Oh! I know this one!" Adam exclaimed. "To get to the other side!"

I gave Adam a look, but was too tired to insult him. We listened as the neighbour continued to wake all the people on our street with his car.

"Clearly, this guy has no respect for my beauty sleep." Leo grumbled. We all looked at him. "It takes at least eight hours for me to look this good! Ten, if you want that Leo glow."

Mr. Davenport came barrelling down the stairs next, wearing some of the ugliest pyjamas I'd ever seen. "I can not believe I have to wake up to this."

"I can't believe I have to wake up to that!" Leo countered, nodding at Mr. Davenport's apparel.

Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes. "This is Italian silk. A cheetah wishes he looked this good." He protested.

"A cheetah would have the decency to cover that up with a robe." Bree argued. He gave her a look, but instead stormed to the door and flung it open.

"Hey Pierce!" Mr. Davenport shouted at our neighbour. "Get your car off my lawn!"

Pierce didn't listen, however. Mr. Davenport grabbed a remote off the table and looked at us. "Let's see how he likes my new high-pressure sprinkler system." He muttered, stepping outside while pressing some buttons on the remote. The sprinklers turned on and coated the entire yard with water. A few seconds later, Pierce's car stalled, clearly stuck. "He's stuck in the mud!" Mr. Davenport laughed.

His victory was short lived though. It didn't take long for Pierce's car to get out of the mud and when it did, it sent a large spray of the filth right back at Mr. Davenport, covering him head to toe.

"Not anymore." Leo commented as we turned around and headed back to bed.

Xxx

"Pierce kept you awake all night too?" I guessed when I saw Calla waiting for us on the steps up to the school. She shook her head, stifling a yawn.

"Just until midnight. Then I got pissed and threw an egg carton at his window. He didn't come back." She replied. "Still though. I'm tired."

"I can tell. Now come on sleepy head – it's locker reassignment day and I don't want to be last in line again. Remember what happened last time?"

That made Calla smirk. "Oh yeah! Perry stuck you between Trent and Kaitlin. Not sure who was worse – Miss Crazy or Mister Bully."

"Kaitlin, trust me on that." I shuddered at the memory. "Now come on."

Calla sighed, but got up and followed me inside. To our surprise, Leo was standing at the front of the line.

"Leo, how did you get to be first in line for locker reassignments?" I asked, frowning.

"Oh, since I couldn't get any sleep, I've been here since dawn." He replied, crossing his arms. "FYI, you do not want to see the lunch ladies without make-up."

"Wait, they wear make-up?" Calla questioned. Leo nodded, a grimace on his face.

"But, since I'm first in line, I'll finally get the corner locker." He added cheerfully. Adam, who had lined up behind us, looked at him in confusion.

"Wait a second, I thought this was the line for lice check." He gritted his teeth together in annoyance and walked away, presumably to find the correct line. Meanwhile, Leo was staring at the corner locker (the best locker in the school, according to him).

"There she is. Locker One-oh-six." He sighed happily. "Away from the traffic, near the cheerleaders, and I can see Principal Perry before anyone else. And a two second head start can save a life."

I smirked, nodding in approval. Suddenly, Perry walked out from her office.

"Listen up weasels!" She called, getting our attention. "It's locker reassignment day. Why, you ask? A little trick I picked up from my days as a prison guard. Never let the perks get comfy!" She shouted the last bit, emphasizing each word by banging her fist on the table. "Also, drag your hand through mashed potatoes to check for weapons."

We all looked at each other. Perry turned to Leo. "Alright Dooley, what locker do you want?"

"The corner one." Leo replied. She smirked.

"Already taken!" She told him, laughing gleefully. Leo stared at her in confusion.

"What? By who?" He demanded.

"By me." Calla, Leo and I turned towards the sound of the voice, a tall boy with dark hair wearing a long sleeved shirt. "Clayton Harrington." He introduced himself, sweeping his arm to one side.

"Well Clayton Harrington," Leo mimicked his arm sweep mockingly, "I know you're new here, but I was first in line." He informed the new guy. Clayton just smiled.

"Oh, I know. That's why I gave Principal Perry an all expense paid trip to go wherever she wants."

Perry's grin grew. "Staten Island cat show, here I come!"

"But that's not fair!" Leo objected.

"I know. Isn't injustice infuriating?" Perry teased. Leo turned to look at Clayton.

"Why do you care so much about getting the corner locker?" He asked. Clayton shrugged.

"Oh, I don't. But I hate lines and Harrington's don't wait. We let our money do the talking." He pulled out a wad of money. "And right now it's saying 'you don't have as much as I do.'" Clayton said the last bit in a high pitched voice voice.

Perry chuckled at the sight. She looked at Calla. "What about you, Parker? What locker?"

"Oh, she can have the corner locker if she likes." Clayton offered, smiling at my best friend. I narrowed my eyes at him. I didn't like the way he was eyeing her, as if she was some sort of trophy that he wanted to win.

Calla turned towards him, an eyebrow raised. "I can?" She asked suspiciously. Clayton smiled charmingly at her.

"Well of course." He replied, taking her hand. He pressed his lips to her knuckles for a long second, then pulled away. "Anything for a lovely little lady like you."

If anything, the annoyance I felt was growing. Calla, on the other hand, seemed amused. She pulled her hand away from Clayton, smirking.

"Yeah, nice try Mr. Richie Rich. But I'm good." She replied. Clayton shrugged and walked away. When he was gone, Calla looked down at the hand he kissed. "Gross." She muttered, wiping her hand across my shirt. I looked at her.

"Really?" I asked, looking at her. She looked at me innocently.

"What? I didn't want to get the germs of Clayton Harrington," she also mocked his arm sweep, "on my brand new shirt."

"It looks nice." I said, not really thinking about it. She blushed.

"You think?" She asked. I nodded.

"Totally." I replied. Leo rolled his eyes at us, then turned to Perry.

"Are there any other lockers left?" he asked, sounding rather annoyed. She checked the list, then pulled a key out from her pocket.

"Nope. Here's a key to the boiler room." She handed him the key and a flashlight. "Just remember to knock first. My relatives stay there when they're in town."

"What about me?" Calla called after Perry, but the woman had left. Calla sighed. "I guess I'm going to have to go kick some idiot out of their locker."

"Which idiot are you talking about?" I asked. She smiled and turned to me.

"Chase…" She began, but I cut her off before she could go any farther.

"Nope! You're not getting my locker!" I argued.

Calla's POV

I ended up getting a locker in the end. One of the football players (Kyle, I think) transferred schools, so I took the locker before anyone else could. It wasn't in an ideal location – I was stuck between the smelly football players and the even smellier locker room, but it was better than nothing.

"So, why am I here?" I questioned as I walked through the Davenport's front door. I sat down next Chase, dropping my backpack onto the floor.

"Mr. Davenport wants to teach us how to deal with noisy neighbours in a mature and responsible fashion." Chase explained, biting his cheek to stop from chuckling. I hid my own laugh behind a cough. This should be interesting.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. "That's Pierce." Mr. Davenport told us. "Now watch as I handle this as an adult."

"Okay, but what do you want us to do when you start crying?" Bree asked. We all smirked at her joke, with the exception of Mr. Davenport.

He opened the front door, but it wasn't Pierce who walked in, it was Clayton. He stepped into the house, acting as if he owned it, his jacket hung over his shoulder.

"Clayton, what are you doing here?" I questioned. Clayton smiled at me.

"Looking good and smelling great." He replied. I rolled my eyes and he continued. "Oh, my dad came to talk to him." He explained, gesturing at Mr. Davenport.

"Wait, Pierce is your dad?" Chase questioned, getting up. Adam smirked.

"Makes sense. Rich jerk, rich jerk's son." He commented, earning a smile from most of the people in the room. Clayton just looked at him.

"Isn't anyone going to take my coat?" He asked. Man, he shouldn't have said that in front of Adam.

"Hell yeah I'll take it!" He exclaimed, grabbing the coat and putting it on. Or, at least he tried. All he managed to do was rip it beyond repair. Clayton stared at him in horror. At that moment, a short man walked in, presumably Pierce, and tossed Chase a pair of keys.

"Two coats of light wax and shampoo the carpets. And don't touch the radio – I'm an easy listener."

Chase gave him a look. "I'm not washing your car."

"Me neither." Adam agreed. "But may I take your coat?"

Pierce gave him a look, then continued as if Adam hadn't spoken at all. "Can we move this along? I've got golf in the AM and I like to show up early to scream during other people's swings. AH!" He shouted, startling Adam. "Drives them crazy."

"Look Pierce, I'll get right to the point." Mr. Davenport stated. "You've been driving your car across my lawn at night and you need to stop."

"Not gonna happen, but I will pay you to stop talking. What's your price?" Pierce held up a wad of cash. Mr. Davenport glanced back at us, amused, then turned back to Pierce.

"Are you trying to pay me off?" He chuckled. "I'm a billionaire."

"Wow, just a billionaire. It must be rough." Pierce said shaking his head. "Well, if you ever need a loan, you know where I live. It's the castle that sits at the top of the hill that casts a shadow over your entire existence."

Mr. Davenport's smirk didn't fade. "Please, you do not have more money that I do."

Pierce rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone. He showed it to Mr. Davenport.

"That's my net worth." He said. Mr. Davenport scoffed in amusement. Pierce simply turned his phone sideways. "Not all the zeroes fit on one screen."

Mr. Davenport's smile faded when he saw the numbers. Pierce then used his finger to slide more zeroes onto the screen. "Whoa." We all murmured in awe.

He did it twice more, each time earning another "Whoa" from us.

When he finally stopped, Mr. Davenport scrambled to find some sort of dignity. "Yeah, well I see one zero that's not on that screen! Take that!"

It was a pitiful effort, but an effort all the same. "Someone's about to start crying." Bree sang to the rest of us. We all nodded our agreement.

Mr. Davenport shot her a glare, then looked back at Pierce. "Look, enough is enough. What is it going to take for you to stop driving on my lawn?"

Pierce considered it. "I can't think of a thing. Good night." He started to walk away, but Mr. Davenport stopped him.

"No! You are not leaving until we resolve this." Mr. Davenport told him.

"Fine. How about a contest?" Pierce proposed. "We can settle this on the race track. My stock car against yours. You do own a stock car, don't you?"

"Of course I own a stock car." Mr. Davenport lied. "And when I win, you stop driving your car on my lawn."

"Oh, no, no, no. I think we should play for much higher stakes. Like the deeds to each other's houses. The winner stays, the loser goes." Pierce challenged. We all exchanged looks. No way was Mr. Davenport stupid enough to agree to that.

"Deal!" Mr. Davenport snapped, much to everyone's surprise. Pierce nodded.

"See you on the track. Or later tonight when I tear up the rest of your lawn." He said, starting to walk out. He stopped in front of Chase and I, holding out his hand for his keys. Chase gave them back to him, then the rich guy looked at me. "Hey, aren't you that girl who threw the carton of eggs at my car?"

"You bet I am." I replied, crossing my arms. He gave me a look.

"You do realize that when you egg someone's car, you're supposed to take the eggs out of the carton first, right? You don't throw the whole thing." He told me.

"Don't tell me what to do, old man." I snapped. He shook his head and walked out. Clayton looked at Leo.

"You really think your dad has a chance?" He asked. Of course, Leo was forced to back Mr. Davenport up.

"Yeah, of course he will." He replied. Clayton just smirked.

"Alright then. Why don't we add a little side bet to the mix then? Winner gets the corner locker."

"You're on." Leo agreed. Clayton sent me one of his annoying smirks, then followed his dad out.

Bree turned to Mr. Davenport as soon as they were gone. "Mr. Davenport, are you sure about this?"

"Yeah, if you don't win, we'll lose our house." Leo agreed.

"And I'm pretty sure my mom's going to say no to you lot moving in, so don't count of staying at my place." I added. God, if they had to move, they could end up moving out of town. And then I wouldn't see Chase…I mean any of them again.

"Guys, I got this. Don't worry about it." He assured everyone. "I do have one question though. What exactly is a stock car?"

Everyone groaned, knowing that defeat was probably imminent. I sighed.

"You are SO lucky I love racing." I muttered. "To the lab!"

Xxx

Two days later, it was race day. Mr. Davenport and I had spent hours in the lab, using a virtual simulator to train for the race. Of course, it was no where close to being the real thing, but it was better than nothing.

And now, we were finally getting a good look at his new stock car. Like everything else at Davenport Industries, it had his name on the top in massive, impossible to miss, letters. But it wasn't as bad as usual, the blue and white actually making it look pretty cool.

"Sweet ride, Big D." Leo commented, grinning at the car. "For a second there, I forgot you weren't cool."

Bree grinned. "Yeah. A guy with a huge ego and a sport where they put your face and name on everything. It's a perfect match." She commented. I chuckled, agreeing with her completely.

"Are you sure you're going to be able to beat Pierce?" Chase questioned, looking at Mr. Davenport. "You have no stock car experience. Not to mention, you get car sick going to the store."

"Please, look at this track." Mr. Davenport objected. "Even Adam can drive in a circle."

Adam looked at him. "But this is an oval and those terrify me." He argued, completely serious. I glanced at Mr. Davenport.

"Driving in a circle gets exponentially harder when you're going two hundred miles per hour." I pointed. Mr. Davenport looked at me.

"What happened to 'you can totally win this race. It'll be a walk in the park'?" He asked. I sighed, starting to regret saying that now.

"I really don't want you guys to move, 'cause honestly, I spend more time at your place than my own."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Guys, I have got this." Mr. Davenport tried to reassure us. "I've been training in a stock car simulator for the past two days, I've hired the best pit crew in town. I've got this."

"Obnoxious Rich Slobs, twelve o'clock." I warned, seeing Pierce and Clayton come over. Mr. Davenport turned to face them.

"Well Davenport, we came over to wish you luck." Pierce said. Clayton nodded.

"You're going to need it against our driver." He agreed. They both started chuckling, while we looked at them in confusion.

"Driver?" Mr. Davenport repeated. Pierce nodded.

"I said we'd race, I didn't say I'd be the one driving." He pointed out. He glanced over his shoulder and beckoned the man in the car to come over. "Joey!"

My eyes popped when I saw who it was. No way, no way, no way! Joey Logano?!

"That's your driver?" Mr. Davenport called, completely oblivious to the excited screams coming from my inner fangirl. "When does he get his learner's permit?"

"Um, Mr. Davenport?" I said, starting to regain my composure. "That's Joey Logano."

Mr. Davenport and the others looked at me for an explanation, clearly never having seen him drive before. "Joey Logano. Started driving when he was six and has won a total of 18 races since then. He's the youngest NASCAR driver to win on the pro circuit. Ever."

"Well someone clearly did their research." Chase muttered under his breath. I rolled my eyes at him.

"He's one of my favourite NASCAR racers Chase." I told him. Meanwhile, Mr. Davenport looked positively horrified. I didn't blame him. Whatever hope any of us had that he could win had just evaporated.

"I can't believe that Big D has to race against Joey Logano." Leo complained. Mr. Davenport looked at him.

"I can still win this." He didn't sound as sure as before though. "You forget, I hired the best pit crew in town. Right…Pit Guy Number 1?"

"Yeah, nothing motivates a team like a boss that doesn't know your name." Chase said sarcastically.

"Whatever." Mr. Davenport brushed away his comment. "I'm ready. Bring on the checkered flag."

"Morning grease-monkeys." Just then, Perry walked up wearing a black and white checkered uniform.

"I take that back." Mr. Davenport commented.

"Uh Principal Perry? What are you doing here?" I inquired.

"Working. I moonlight here as an announcer/flag waver/hot rod calendar girl." She posed then, causing Mr. Davenport to cover his eyes in horror. "No one sells lug nuts like me."

"Principal Perry, don't all of these side jobs you have take away your focus from being a school principal?" Bree questioned. Perry nodded cheerfully.

"Oh, absolutely." She agreed. "Now, let's go over some rules. Hey, Logano, Rich guy! Get your sassy chassies over here and let's talk some track."

They walked over. Perry stood between them and Mr. Davenport and held up two pieces of paper. "In each of my precious paws is the deeds to each other your houses, which makes your bet a square deal. It's two hundred laps around, whoever crosses the finish line first wins." She smiled at Joey when she said that.

Joey paid her no mind and offered Mr. Davenport his hand. "Good luck out there." He said. Mr. Davenport shook his hand, though Perry tried to get in the way. Clearly, I wasn't Joey's only fan here.

Chase's POV

"Are you ready, Mr. Davenport?" I asked through the headphones I'd been given. He was set up in his car, while the rest of us watched from the sidelines.

"I got this." He replied, sounding confident.

"When I drop this flag, you guys burn rubber!" Perry shouted, standing between the two cars. She held up a metal object. "Oh, and by the way, this came off one of your cars. I don't know what it does, but it doesn't matter now!"

Perry took a few seconds, then waved the flag. "Good luck!"

Joey's car shot past her, leaving Mr. Davenport's car sitting there in the dust, not moving.

"What is he doing?" Calla demanded, glancing at me. In my ear, I could hear him going over his driving checklist. Then he started complaining about how different this was from his simulator.

"GO!" We all shouted in frustration. He got the hint and hit the accelerator.

Four dozen laps later, I decided to check in with him. Because clearly, he needed some motivation.

"You're doing great, Mr. Davenport." I told him. Calla gave me a look that clearly questioned my sanity.

"Really?" Mr. Davenport was surprised. Calla rolled her eyes.

"Nope. You're twenty-eight laps behind." She informed him using her own set of headphones. I glanced at her.

"You don't have to be so cynical, you know." I told her. She smirked.

"But it's so much fun, Chase!" She objected playfully. I chuckled and watched as Mr. Davenport passed us, waving as he went.

Bree groaned in frustration. "Would one of you PLEASE tell him that he doesn't have to wave every time he passes us?"

Of course, the next time he passed us, he waved again. "Quit it with the waving!" Calla exclaimed. I chuckled again. She could be really cute when she was frustrated.

"So, where are you guys thinking about moving?" Of course Clayton had to walk over and ruin the mood.

"Well, my guy says Cleveland, but I'm an Indiana man at heart." Adam replied.

"We're not going to lose, Clayton." Leo growled, sending Adam a silencing glare.

"Keep telling yourself that, junior." Clayton chuckled. Leo stared at him.

"I'm the same age as you." Leo pointed out.

"Your wallet's not!" Clayton snapped.

"That doesn't make any sense." Leo told him. Even Adam made more sense than that most of the time.

"My wallet makes sense – it talks to me all the time and right now it's saying 'Can I have Leo's bedroom?'." He said in the same high pitched voice as before. "Yes you can."

He walked away, still talking to his wallet. "Oh yeah? Well just for the record, your wallet and your money have the same voice." Leo called after him.

Calla sighed. "Remind me to teach him how to trash talk, okay? Because that was pathetic." She glanced at me. I smirked.

"Agreed." I nodded.

Xxx

Much, much later, around his hundredth lap, Mr. Davenport rolled into the pit stop. Several members of his pit crew went straight to work as we ran to the window.

"I can't believe I'm losing so badly." Mr. Davenport looked really surprised by that. We all were too. I mean, obviously Joey Logano was a professional, but the distance by which Mr. Davenport was losing didn't seem right.

"You do know that stepping on the gas peddle makes it go faster, right?" Bree questioned him.

"There's got to be something wrong with the car." He protested. Adam nodded.

"Alright, let's be smart about this and eliminate variables." He said, sounding like he actually knew what he was talking about. I was almost impressed. Then he continued talking. "First of all, are we sure the car is not in reverse?"

Mr. Davenport gave him a look as Calla and I pushed Adam and Bree out of the way. "It's been almost a minute. Shouldn't your pit crew be done by now?" I questioned. Calla nodded.

"Where's your crew chief anyway?" she questioned, looking around. I spotted him first, chatting with Pierce and Clayton.

"What is he doing down there?" I asked, glancing at Calla. She shrugged and I looked back at them, pushing my hair away from my ear as I focused my bionic hearing on them.

"This is going great." Pierce was saying to the crew chief. "Whatever you did to slow down Davenport's car, worked."

Clayton then handed the man a wad of cash. "Tell me they haven't bribed the him." Calla said, looking at the exchange. Although she couldn't hear them, she could easily see the money being handed over.

"Afraid so." I muttered. I turned back to Mr. Davenport. "Pierce is cheating. He paid your pit crew to sabotage your car."

"I knew it." Mr. Davenport muttered. He pulled himself out of the car, resting on the window's opening, and looked at his pit crew. "You guys are fired." He announced before stepping out of it completely.

They all shrugged and left, the wheels of Mr. Davenport's tires still sitting on the ground. "I probably should have waited until they put those back on." Mr. Davenport admitted.

Suddenly, I had an idea. "Mr. Davenport, what if we replaced your pit crew with a bionic pit crew?" I suggested.

"Or we could start rooting for Joey Logano." Adam suggested. We all looked at him. "Hey, just throwing out options."

"Hold on." Leo told us. "Isn't using bionics technically cheating?"

"Hey, they cheated first! Technically, I'm just levelling the playing field." Mr. Davenport defended himself. I nodded.

"Okay, I'll tap into the car's central computer and optimize it for peak performance." I announced. "Bree, use your super speed to change these tires and to gas it up, and Adam-"

"Can do this." He finished, bending down and lifting the car. He grinned at Leo and Calla. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Impressive." Calla agreed. "Alright boys, Bree. Let's get to work."

Calla's POV

Mr. Davenport was racing again, and going faster than ever. Whatever Chase did must have really helped, because the gap between him and Joey was closing.

"With fifty laps to go, Logano's lead is shrinking!" Perry announced. "Davenport is actually catching up. And don't forget, your lug-nut calendars are available at the concession stand. Keep an eye out for April; I'm wearing tires."

We all shuddered at the very thought of that.

"Great job, Chase. This car is flying now!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed through the headsets. I nodded in agreement.

"I can't believe it! He actually has a chance to win. Nice work, boy wonder." I grinned at Chase. He smiled.

"Thanks Cal." He replied as Mr. Davenport rolled into the pit stop once again. Bree jumped over the barrier.

"Okay, we need to change the tires in under ten seconds or-" Leo didn't even get to finish his sentence before she sped around the car. When she skidded to a stop, she was covered in grease and the tires had been changed.

"Done." She sang, jumping back over the barrier.

"You're good to go, Mr. Davenport." I told my boss. He waved at us, then drove off, a strong gust of wind hitting us all in the face.

Mr. Davenport was actually doing pretty good in the race. In fact, he and Joey were on the same lap now, with only thirty to go.

"This is incredible. Davenport has even it up." Perry declared. "I'm almost beginning to care who wins."

Mr. Davenport continued to race around the track as Joey pulled into the pit stop. We couldn't hear what was going on over there, but clearly something was up. Suddenly, Joey climbed out of his car through the window, pulled of his helmet, and started walking towards us.

"Where are you going?" Pierce shouted after him. "You can't leave!"

"Just did." Joey called back. We all stared in amazement as Joey walked over to our side of the pit stop.

"So, it looks like my afternoon just freed up. You guys need any help?" He offered. None of us could think of what to say. "Please say yes. I want to hide from that creepy flag lady."

We looked over his shoulder to see Perry eyeing him like he was her dinner. "Uh…sure?" I managed to get out.

"Thanks." Joey replied, climbing over the barrier. I glanced over at Chase, a grin on my face. Joey Logano was helping us!

Okay, so maybe I was a little over-excited. But Joey Logano was my favourite NASCAR driver of all time! At least I wasn't fawning over him like Perry, although I would kill for an autograph.

Meanwhile, Pierce had decided that he would finish the race is Joey's place. He was right in front of Mr. Davenport, not giving him a chance to get ahead.

"Two laps to go in the Rich Jerk 500. Davenport and Pierce are neck and neck." Perry announced. "It's anyone's race and I think we're all wondering the same question: is there a Mrs. Logano?"

"You were right about creepy." I muttered to Joey. He chuckled.

"Is she really your principal?" He questioned. I nodded.

"I'm afraid so." I replied.

Joey smirked at me, then started speaking into his headphones. "Davenport, you're doing great. Just please stop saying vroom-vroom every time you make a turn."

"Gotcha." Mr. Davenport agreed. There was giddiness in his voice. "I can't believe this. I think I'm going to win. I'm going to win!"

He suddenly started screaming. As his car passed us, we could see that he accidently pulled the steering wheel off. He started panicking, while Joey simply chuckled.

"You do know that it pops back on, right?" He questioned. A few seconds later, Mr. Davenport's car corrected itself.

"I knew that." Mr. Davenport lied, driving right in behind of Pierce. He stayed behind him, not trying to get in front just yet. In fact, he appeared to be slowing down.

"What is Mr. Davenport doing?" Chase demanded. "Why is he slowing down?"

"He's going to lose the race." Bree cried.

"He's obviously giving up. It's the honourable thing to do." Adam told her. I shook my head at them.

"He's drafting." I explained in a bored tone. Joey nodded.

"A good idea on his part." He agreed.

"Drafting?" Leo repeated.

"It's something I learned from my driving simulator." Mr. Davenport explained. "I'm reducing my wind resistance by hiding behind Pierce's car. Then I'm going to slingshot past him in the straight away. On my controller it's red, red, green, up arrow, but I think I can make it work."

Jut like Mr. Davenport said, he shot out from behind Pierce and sped past him, waving as he went. Mr. Davenport hit the turn and drove around it with ease.

"Vroom-vroom!" He laughed, then he caught himself. "Sorry Joey."

Joey chuckled. "It's alright. We all do it."

Both Mr. Davenport and Pierce raced towards the finish line. And although it was close, it was obvious who had won.

"And Davenport crosses the finish line!" Perry shouted, waving her flag.

"Yes!" "He did it!" "Woo-hoo!" We all cheered. Leo hugged Bree, Adam and Joey high-fived each other, and I threw my arms around Chase.

"You guys don't have to move!" I cheered, hugging him tightly. He grinned and hugged me back.

"I know!" He laughed in relief.

"Great job guys. Now it's time for the real race – getting away from that flag lady."

"Good luck with that!" I called after him as he ran, Perry chasing after him while screaming about calendars.

Mr. Davenport drove into the pit stop then, a grin on his face. We applauded as he climbed out, watching as he fell onto his butt, then continued to clap when he jumped back onto his feet.

"Nice work Mr. Davenport!" Chase exclaimed. "You totally showed those guys who's the boss!"

"Yes, yes I did." Mr. Davenport agreed. "But it's important to remember; always win with dignity."

Then Mr. Davenport caught sight of Pierce talking to Clayton and started bragging like a little kid.

Leo walked up to Clayton, ignoring Mr. Davenport. "Well Clayton, looks like the corner locker is all mine." He sighed happily.

"I'm still richer than you." Clayton snapped.

"And you know what that got you today?" Leo asked. He smirked. "Nothing."

"Yeah, well…" Clayton searched his mind for an insult. "Your wallet's nothing."

"Oh, it's something. And right now it's saying," Leo replied. He pulled out his wallet and started talking in a high pitched voice. "'Please have my locker cleaned out by 7 AM'."

Clayton glared at him, and walked away with a huff, leaving the rest of us chuckling at his immaturity.

Chase's POV

"Hey Leo." Calla, Bree, Adam and I walked over to Leo, who was standing by his locker and telling it how beautiful it was. Kinda disturbing, but hopefully, he would stop. Eventually.

"So, how does it feel having the best locker in school?" Bree asked. Leo smirked at us.

"Oh, I'm not the only one with a good locker. I got primo upgrades for you four too. Any locker you want until we graduate." He told us. We all grinned.

"No way! I get that locker for six more years?" Adam said, eyes wide. We all exchanged looks.

"Maybe longer." Bree told him, patting his arm. He grinned even wider. I looked at Leo.

"How'd you pull that off?" I questioned. Leo frowned.

"I don't know. Principal Perry is just in a really good mood." He replied. Suddenly, Calla spoke up from beside me.

"I think I know why." She told us, pointing as Perry walked out of her office. Instead of wearing her usual grey or brown pant suit, she was wearing Joey Logano's racing uniform. "Where did you get that?" Calla demanded, eyes wide.

"Joey Logano left his racing suit behind." Perry explained. "And I customized it in all the right places."

She did a lunge-like pose to show off, then walked off. I turned to the others. "And some of the wrong ones." I added. They all nodded in agreement, Leo covering his eyes in disgust.

FLASHBACK OVER

(Still Chase's POV)

"…And that is how we met Joey Logano." I finished. Jaden looked at us, shaking his head.

"I seriously miss all the fun stuff." He muttered. Calla smirked.

"Hey, at least you didn't have to see Perry in that suit." She commented. We all shuddered at the memory.

"True." Jaden agreed. "So, did Pierce and Clayton do what they said? Did they actually move?"

"Yep." Bree nodded. "Never saw them again."

"Hey, didn't someone move into their house recently?" Leo asked, looking at Calla. She nodded.

"Oh yeah! There's this new kid at school. Kieran Daniels." She replied. She glanced at us. "Nice kid, kinda keeps to himself though. I have biology with him."

"Oh cool." I replied, smiling at her. Even though people were finally starting to like the idea of bionic people, Kaitlin and Jessica were still avoiding Calla. It was nice that she was making some new friends aside from Caleb.

"So, are we missing anything else at school?" Adam asked, glancing at Calla and Leo.

"Let's see…there's the science fair, but only Chase would be missing that." Leo said. He looked at Calla. "I think that's it. I mean, Kieran's the only new kid, there aren't any other events going on either."

"Yeah, you guys haven't missed that much." Calla assured us. She got up to make a snack, her phone in her hand. She stopped suddenly, staring at it. "You've got to be joking."

"What's up?" I asked, looking at her. She turned around and tossed me her phone so I could read the message.

From: Evil Agent Graham

Need to see bionic kids tomorrow. Make sure they're at home.

"Graham wants to see us tomorrow." I told Adam and Bree. I looked up at Calla and tossed her phone back to her. "Why is he labelled in your contacts as 'evil'?"

"Because I don't like him." She replied, catching the phone in her hands. "I wonder what he wants."

We all wondered the same thing.


	20. Armed and Dangerous

Leo's POV

"Hey Dooley, hey formally evil Davenport." Calla greeted as she walked into our house. Neither Douglas nor I looked up from what we were doing. Douglas was going through the fridge, looking for sandwich condiments, while I was busy looking for my cell phone.

"Hey Calla, have you seen my phone?" I asked, glancing at her as I put the couch cushions back where they belonged. She shrugged and sat down on the couch.

"Nope." She replied, dumping her backpack on the ground.

I glanced at the couch, getting an idea. Maybe my phone was under there. I walked over, grabbed the bottom of the couch with my bionic hand, and lifted it above my head, with Calla still sitting on it. "Leo! Douglas, he's doing it again!" Calla complained, glaring down at me while clutching the arm rest. "Put me down Leo! Right now!"

"What are you doing?" Douglas demanded, looking at me.

"Looking for my phone." I replied, before grinning. "Perhaps, you haven't heard; I'm bionic now."

"Put that down! And be-" I dropped the couch back on the ground, where it landed with a loud bang. Calla nearly fell off at the impact, and glared angrily at me for it. "-gentle."

I shrugged, looking at Douglas. Why was he always on my back for using my bionics? It's not like I used them at school – I was waiting for Janelle to get back from the New York trip to do that. "Look, I know that bionic arm is fun, but you can't just use it whenever you want." Douglas scolded. I raised an eyebrow at that.

"Oh, but it's okay when you need a pickle jar opened?" I questioned.

"That was an emergency." He defended himself. "You can't have a tuna sandwich without a nice kosher dill."

"Back on subject, Douglas." Calla called from her spot on the couch.

"Right." He looked back at me as he placed his breakfast on the dinner table. "Having that arm is a huge responsibility, which I thought you could handle. We finally have the government on our side. Do you know what would happen if they found out there was a fourth bionic kid?"

I shrugged again. "It'd be an even number. I imagine they'd be happy."

"Or they would take you away and lock Douglas up." Calla pointed out, grabbing her phone out of her backpack. Douglas looked terrified at the idea.

"I can't go back to prison!" He exclaimed. Calla and I both looked at him. "There was a farewell party! I did a speech! It'd just be awkward."

I sighed. "Alright, I get it. I will only use my arm when it's absolutely necessary." I promised him. He nodded.

"Good." He replied, going back to his meal. Suddenly, a fly started buzzing around me. I started swatting at it, only for a laser sphere to come flying out of my hand and hit the footrest. The footrest exploded into several different parts, all three of us staring at it.

Douglas turned to me, demanding an explanation. "You know," I began, "technically, that was the fly's fault."

"What was…oh." Chase said, walking into the living room. He looked at me. "Your laser spheres glitch again?"

"…Possibly." I admitted. Bree rolled her eyes, pushing past Chase. Adam followed behind her.

"Nice job, Leo." She teased. "Now can we PLEASE get going? I never thought I'd actually miss going to school!"

"Yeah, first day back since the video went out." I grinned, remembering when Agent Graham made the announcement. The only reason he'd made them wait so long was because he wanted to get his promotion stuff in order and because he wanted some media coverage. He, along with the press, were going to meet us at Mission Creek High.

"Well, are you guys coming or not?" Calla questioned, getting up. I nodded.

"As soon as I find my phone." I assured her. She sighed dramatically.

"For God's sake!" She muttered, pressing a few buttons on her phone. A second later, my ringtone started coming out of my backpack. She raised an eyebrow at me. "I found your phone."

I glared at her half-heartedly, slightly annoyed that I hadn't thought about calling myself, then grabbed my backpack and led the others outside down the familiar path to the school.

Calla's POV

"Alright, the non-bionics go in first." Agent Graham ordered, stopping us as we started to walk inside the school. Bree looked at him, confused.

"Why?" She questioned.

"The cameras aren't here to see them; they're here to see you." He pointed out. Chase looked like he was about to argue, but I stopped him.

"It's no big deal." I assured him, slipping my hand out of his. I started walking away, calling over my shoulder, "Come on, Dooley!"

I stepped into the school, mixing into the crowd of people with relative ease. They were all here to get a glimpse of Adam, Bree, and Chase; they weren't looking for a random girl like me. I quickly scanned the lobby, looking for a familiar face. I grinned when I saw Caleb sitting on the top of the bench. I skipped over to him happily.

"Adam, Bree, and Chase are back! Isn't it awesome?" I grinned at him. He nodded.

"Yeah, maybe now we'll be able to get rid of you." He teased. I rolled my eyes.

"Never gonna happen, Jones." I replied. A chuckle came from my left, causing me to turn and look for the source. It was a short sixteen year old boy with soft brown hair and intelligent hazel eyes. I smirked when I saw him.

"Something funny, Kieran?" I asked the new kid. He nodded.

"Yes, your strange obsession with people's last names. I mean, Dooley, Jones." He shook his head. "We're not in the military, Calla."

I laughed. "Well if we were, I'd be commanding officer. Now, what's that book you're reading?" With a quick thought, I added, "Daniels."

Kieran smirked at the use of his last name, but showed me his book anyway. "Advanced Topics of Zoology." He replied. "I'm trying to get an internship at the city zoo."

"Sounds fun." I grinned. I looked up as the camera men walked into the school. "It's starting."

Agent Graham walked in first. "Students of Mission Creek High, please welcome your bionic super humans!"

The entire school burst into applause as Adam, Bree, and Chase walked in, proud grins on their faces. "And our trusty little mascot Chase!" Adam joked, patting his brother's arm. Chase sent him a look, but didn't have time to object as a crowd of students rushed forward for autographs.

"Should we wait until they're done signing autographs, or should we go say hello now?" Caleb asked me and Kieran. Kieran glanced at the crowd.

"There are quite a few girls from Chase's fanclub up there, Calla." He warned. And he was right. I jumped off the bench, leaving the boys to watch my stuff, and pushed through the crowd.

"You want an autograph too?" Chase teased as I walked up beside him. I smirked.

"You're enjoying this." I noticed. He nodded.

"Yeah, it's like we're celebrities." He grinned, signing some girl's notebook.

"We are." Agent Graham told him. "And this is just the beginning."

Bree looked at Chase. "I can't believe that people are so shallow that they only like us because we're bionic." Bree said. She grinned. "This is awesome!"

I laughed as Chase took my hand. "So, since we're now allowed in public again, do you want to do anything tonight?" He whispered in my ear. I smiled.

"I was hoping you'd ask that." I replied. "I've got us reservations at that new fancy Mexican restaurant down the street for eight o'clock."

"Well, I do love Mexican." Chase grinned. I smiled back at him.

"So, it's a date?" I asked. He chuckled before kissing me on the lips.

"You know it." He murmured. Before I could reply I found myself dragged away from Chase and pushed to the back of the crowd by some more autograph seekers.

"Seriously guys?" I muttered. Chase gave me an apologetic smile. I shrugged, letting him know that it didn't bother me too much.

"Wow, those girls really want a piece of him." Caleb commented as I walked back to him and Kieran. I shrugged.

"It's fine. I'll see him later." I replied. Suddenly, Kieran frowned.

"Hey, Adam's the tall one, right?" He asked. I nodded. "I don't think he knows how to do an autograph properly."

Confused, I followed his gaze until I saw a girl walking away from Adam, the name PAM written on her forehead.

"I'm guessing she asked Adam to autograph her forehead." Leo commented, walking over to us. I nodded.

"Yeah, I think so." I agreed. Suddenly, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I grinned. "Well, it looks like the kids who went on the New York trip just got back."

"They did?" Leo grinned, looking around for Janelle. I rolled my eyes, grabbed him by the shoulders, and turned him towards his girlfriend. I then pushed him towards her, shaking my head.

"I have a feeling that this is going to end badly." I muttered under my breath, turning back to the crowd. "Now, how to get rid of the fangirls…"

Leo's POV

"Hey Janelle." I greeted, walking over to her locker. "How was New York?"

"Hi Leo. It was – Oh, hey Adam!" She exclaimed, walking past me to go talk to him. I stared at her in confusion. Did I just get ignored for Adam?

"Can you help me with my science fair project?" Janelle asked. Adam shrugged.

"Probably not, but I'll give it a shot." He replied with a grin.

"My project is about you." She explained. I stared at her.

"Him?" I demanded. She nodded. "Why him?"

"Because his bionics are the most impressive." Janelle replied, giving me the Leo-you're-an-idiot look. She then turned back to Adam. "Can you tell me how they work?"

"Uh…yeah. I have a bionic chip in the back of my neck that lets me do stuff…bionicly." He replied. Janelle stared at him, expecting more.

"I was kinda hoping for a more detailed explanation." She told him. He nodded.

"I was too." He agreed. Suddenly, the bell rang. "You know, I'm more of a visual explainer, so maybe we can meet up after school and I can use my eyes to blow stuff up."

"Awesome!" Janelle grinned, just as I was silently hoping that she'd say no. Adam grinned, then looked at the crowd.

"Hey Jessica! Wait up! I want to talk to you!" He called, running after said blonde.

Meanwhile, I was looking at Janelle, trying to make a decision. I wanted to tell her about my bionics, but if I got caught, Calla and Douglas were going to kill me. Finally, just as the crowd dispersed, I made up my mind.

"Janelle, I'm going to show you something, but you have to promise not to tell anyone." I warned her before sticking out my arm for her to see. She looked at it, unimpressed.

"A calculator watch?" she questioned. I drew my arm back.

"No, not that." I replied. I took a deep breath before continuing. "I have bionics."

"You? Really?" Janelle giggled at the very thought of it. I looked at her, offended.

"Yes me!" I snapped. "I have a bionic arm. Behold!"

I swung my arm out, like I would if I was going to shoot a laser sphere. Except this time, nothing happened. Janelle stood there watching me, shaking her head at me. I looked at my arm in confusion. Maybe it was just the laser spheres. I mean, nothing else had glitched lately.

"It probably just needs to warm up." I assured her, swinging my arm to warm it up. Then I threw it out, intending to shoot a fire ball. Once again, nothing happened. Why was nothing happening?

"That's…adorable, Leo." Janelle told me. "I'd like to stick around, but I have to superspeed off to class. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh." She said mockingly, walking away. I watched her go, both confused by my lack of bionics and annoyed at her mockery.

Calla's POV

"Hey! Don't touch that!" I exclaimed, snatching my laptop away from one of Agent Graham's men. In the past couple of days, they'd practically invaded the lab and were trying to gain access to everything, much to my annoyance. Seriously, why couldn't they do their work elsewhere?

"Special Agent Graham ordered us to go through every piece of technology, little girl." The man told me, trying to take my laptop back. I glared at him. Another thing I didn't like was how every single on of them were treating me like a child! Leo too, but since I spent the majority of my time down in this lab, I got the worst of it. Seriously, if one more person called me 'little girl' again, I was going to lose it!

"Yeah, well Special Agent Graham can go-" I began, only to be interrupted by Mr. Davenport.

"Calla, stop complaining about Graham and HELP ME!" He ordered. I sighed, slid my laptop into my backpack, and ran to help my boss lift a massive metal barrel into the lab.

"They're going through my stuff!" I complained quietly. He nodded.

"Yes, I know. I'd take your work home with you from now on, if I were you." He suggested, trying to be helpful. I nodded and we placed the barrel in the middle of the room just as Adam, Bree, Chase and Graham walked into the lab. Bree, Chase, and Graham were laughing loudly, but Adam looked kinda down for some reason.

"What's so funny?" Mr. Davenport demanded. Chase grinned.

"Nothing." He lied. Bree chuckled.

"Agent Graham said the most impressive piece of technology in the whole lab is your hair." She explained. Everyone in the lab burst out laughing, except for Mr. Davenport and Adam. I looked at the older boy.

"Let me guess, girl troubles?" I assumed. He nodded glumly.

"Jessica broke up with me." He sighed sadly. I smiled sympathetically.

"I'm sorry." I apologized. He shrugged.

"Apparently, she's mad that I lied to her, since you and Jaden knew the secret the whole time. She said that she can't trust me anymore." He told me. I patted his arm.

"Hey, you know what they say; there are more fish in the sea." I told him optimistically. He shrugged sadly.

"Looks, Adam I'm sorry your girlfriend dumped you, but you're all fifteen minutes late for training." Mr. Davenport called. Graham looked at him.

"Actually, their training has been put on hold until further notice. Didn't you read the memo?" Graham asked. Mr. Davenport glanced at me and I shook my head. I hadn't gotten any memo and his inbox was empty.

Agent Graham chuckled. "Oh right. You two aren't on the memo list."

Well, that was rude of him. "They need their training to maintain their bionics." Mr. Davenport snapped, ignoring that insult. "Not to mention their missions-"

"Yes, but right now," Graham interrupted him, "the most important mission is getting our faces out there." He turned to Adam, Bree, and Chase. "That's why we're going on an international press tour."

Bree stared at him. "Wait, no training and we get to travel?" She demanded. "Can we go to Paris?"

Graham grinned. "Only after we go to London." He replied. Bree grinned happily. "Look, I know we kinda got off on the wrong foot with the whole me-arresting-you thing."

The others just waved him off. "Hey, just tell me we're going to Des Moines and all is forgiven." Adam told him. For some reason, Adam had always admired

"Then I guess we're going to Des Moines!" Graham grinned. Adam grinned.

"I love being owned by the government!" He exclaimed, his mind clearly distracted from Jessica.

"Whoa, whoa, guys!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed, bursting their bubble. "This is completely irresponsible."

"Mr. Davenport, we've been training our whole lives!" Bree objected. "Don't we deserve just a little bit of fun?"

"I think you do." Graham told her. He glanced at Adam and Chase. "I also think you deserve a little thanks for all you've done for mankind. Don't you agree, Mr. Davenport?"

"Of course I do." Mr. Davenport snapped. It was clear that he was trying hard to figure a way to convince them how stupid this was without seeming like a terrible father. I sighed loudly.

"Chase, tell him how important training is." I ordered. Chase looked at Graham.

"Well, Calla and Mr. Davenport do have a point…" He began hesitantly.

"I can show you where they keep Einstein's brain." Graham offered. And just like that, Chase was sold.

"Training Shmaining." Chase finished, a grin on his face.

Graham chuckled. "Go pack your stuff. Wheels up to New York in fifteen minutes."

"Ah, New York." Adam sighed. "The Des Moines of the East."

"Oh, come on!" Bree exclaimed, dragging her brothers out of the room. Chase glanced back over his shoulder as he left.

"See you later, Calla!" He called. I tried to call him back.

"But Chase, what about our…" But he was already gone, "…date."

Mr. Davenport turned to Graham. "This is insane." He growled. "You're not qualified to lead them! You don't even understand how their bionic infrastructure works."

"And I really don't care." Graham replied honestly. He looked at Mr. Davenport. "How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of my way?"

Mr. Davenport sighed. "Fine, I get it. You're in charge. But I'm not going to stop being involved in their lives."

Graham smirked and sat down at my desk, putting his feet up on top of it. "Don't worry, there's still plenty for you to do." Graham assured him. "We'll call you our Mission Specialist. Or perhaps you can be the assistant."

Mr. Davenport gasped dramatically, while I glared furiously at Graham. No way was I getting replaced by Mr. Davenport!

"Mission Specialist or the assistant?" Mr. Davenport repeated. "That's like being an intern! Leo's the mission specialist and Calla's the assistant!"

"Then you work for her." Graham informed him. I stared at him.

"What?" I questioned, eyes wide. Graham smirked.

"He's your new assistant." He told me before turning back to Mr. Davenport. "And for your first assignment, you have the honour of going on a smoothie run."

"Seriously? I'm a world renowned scientist and you're going to send me on a smoothie run?" Mr. Davenport demanded. Graham nodded.

"You're right; that was inappropriate." He admitted. He then gestured at me. "You'd better clear it with your supervisor, Calla."

Mr. Davenport gave him a look, then glanced at me for my opinion on the situation. Honestly, I was trying very, very hard not to laugh. As much as I hated Graham, he did know how to entertain people.

"Um…" I bit my lip, willing myself to keep a straight face. "I'd like a strawberry/banana smoothie please."

Mr. Davenport glared at me, and I smiled apologetically back. Then he walked away, muttering something about not hiring anymore teenagers in the future.

"Well, that was fun." I murmured to myself. I turned around to go back upstairs, but stopped short, glaring at one of Graham's men. "You put that laptop right back where you found it!"

Leo's POV

I ran into my house to find Douglas in the living room, attempting to duct tape the seat I destroyed back together.

"Douglas, something's wrong with my bionics!" I exclaimed. "They aren't working."

"I know, I turned them off." He replied, not looking up from his work.

"You what?!" I demanded. "Turn them back on or you will lead a sad, pickle-free existence!"

Douglas looked up at me and showed me a tiny remote in his hands. "When I implanted your bionics, I installed a remote deactivation feature, so I can make sure you don't get into any trouble."

"But I promised you I wouldn't use them!" I protested. "You didn't trust me."

Douglas gave me a look. "Did you use them?" he questioned, his tone implying that he already knew the answer.

"Don't you change the subject!" I snapped.

Douglas sighed. "Look, I didn't take them away. I just deactivated them. Think of it as bionic training wheels. I will take them off when you have proven that you can responsibly ride your bionic…arm-bike…"

"That was more painful than the accident that destroyed my arm." I told him.

Douglas rolled his eyes. "Bottom line: from now on, I control your bionics."

With that, he walked away to find more duct tape, leaving the remote on the table. Not too bright of him to do that…

"Bottom line: oh no you don't." I smirked to myself, pocketing the remote.

Calla's POV

RING! RING! RING!

I groaned, opening my eyes. Dang it! I hated being woken up from good dreams! Especially when they involved me winning Nobel Prizes in physics and chemistry. With an annoyed groan, I rolled over in bed and grabbed my phone.

"Who are you and what do you want?" I grumbled into it.

"Calla, it's Davenport." Came the reply. I frowned, then glanced at my clock.

"Mr. Davenport," I began, resisting the urge to just hang up on him, "it's twelve thirty in the morning. I have school later. This had better be important."

"I need you for a mission." He informed me. That caught my attention.

"Sorry, I must still be half-asleep. I thought you said you needed me for a mission." I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"I do." Mr. Davenport confirmed. "There was an accident over at one of the warehouses where I keep my super-computer technology. One of the super-computers is set to over-load and I need three sets of hands to deactivate it."

"Oh, shit." I muttered. "Wait, what about Adam, Bree, and Chase? I know Adam's not that much help with computers, but Chase could tell him what to do."

"They're still not back from Des Moines yet and nobody is answering their phone." He informed me.

"You've got to be kidding me!" I exclaimed. "Those idiots!"

"Oh trust me, I'm going to give them hell for it when they get home." He assured me. "But right now, I need you ready to go. I just got Leo up."

I nodded, already heading for my closet. "Pick me up at my house in five. I'll be ready."

Xxx

"That sucked!" Leo complained as we all stumbled into the lab. I nodded tiredly, lowering myself into one of the lab's chairs. I never particularly enjoyed missions – I was always more comfortable behind a computer than on the front lines – but this one had gone especially bad. There'd been explosions, fire, and part of the warehouse's room collapsed. None of us were hurt (although there were a few close calls) but a couple of workers were sent to the hospital with broken bones.

"Leo, I'd go get changed if I were you – Tasha's going to freak if she sees you like that." I pointed out. All of our clothes were ripped and covered in ash and dust. Not to mention, the sick scent of smoke clung to them, making them downright revolting.

"Yeah, good idea." Leo agreed. He glanced at my own filthy clothes. "What about you? I doubt your mom's not going to happy to see you looking like that."

"I'll borrow some of Bree's stuff." I decided. She wouldn't mind; we borrowed each other's clothes all the time. Leo nodded and ran upstairs while I went to grab some clothes from Bree's capsule.

"You two should get mission suits. You're going to need them." Mr. Davenport mentioned as I searched through my best friend's clothing. I shook my head as I pulled out a white floral t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Leo maybe, but I don't see why I would need one. I don't plan on going any more missions any time soon." I told him. Mr. Davenport glanced at me.

"You don't want to go on missions?" He asked, surprised. I shook my head.

"Nope. Honestly, I'm starting to hate them." I replied. He frowned at me.

"You used to beg me to let you and Leo go one missions with Adam, Bree, and Chase. What happened?" He asked. I sighed.

"I grew up and realized that it wasn't all fun." I replied. "Back then, Douglas was the biggest thing we had to deal with and your brother isn't that dangerous. That was kid stuff. You know, those stupid little adventures where you always come out unscathed. But now, with the government involved and people like Krane and S-1 out there, things are much more dangerous and riskier. One of these days, we're not going to come out unscathed. One of these days, someone's going to end up seriously injured or worse."

"Adam, Bree, and Chase can handle themselves." Mr. Davenport pointed out. I nodded.

"I know. You trained them to handle this sort of thing. But Leo and I weren't trained. We were lucky in the past, especially when we went after Marcus, but that luck isn't going to last forever." I stated.

Mr. Davenport was quiet for a moment as he considered this. "I suppose you make a good point." He admitted. He chuckled. "And we used to joke about you having a death wish."

I laughed at that too. "Nope, quite the opposite actual." I replied. He looked at me.

"You put a lot of thought into this." He noted. I shrugged.

"Honestly, I've been thinking about it since S-1 tried to kill Leo and I." I admitted. I still couldn't forget the cold, heartless smirk on her face when she shot that plasma ball at me. "I can't believe that was only a couple of weeks ago."

"I know." Mr. Davenport agreed. He glanced at me and smiled. "Still, are you sure you don't want a mission suit? Because they look pretty cool."

"No thanks, but I'll start working on Leo's once I'm done my next project." I assured him. I stepped into the washroom, quickly changed, and met him back in the lab.

"So, what is your next project? Those are always interesting." Mr. Davenport mentioned. I shrugged.

"Something Douglas asked me to work on. It's a holographic target." I replied. Suddenly, I heard footsteps down the hall. "Oh, look who's back."

Mr. Davenport glanced at the hall, where the sounds of laughter and talking could easily be heard, then back at his bag. "Hey Calla, hey Mr. Davenport." Bree greeted as she, Adam, and Chase stepped into the lab.

Mr. Davenport and I both turned to face them, generally annoyed. Chase looked at the two of us. "What happened to you guys?" He asked, confused.

"Where have you been?" Mr. Davenport questioned. "We've been calling for hours."

Chase frowned. "I didn't even notice you guys called. We've been too busy flying around the world doing meet-and-greets."

"Yeah, we kissed a ton of babies." Adam smiled. "Their heads are delicious."

When neither of us smiled in the slightest, Chase pulled out his phone. "Here it is. Thirteen missed calls from Mr. Davenport, one from Leo, three from Calla, and a text message…" He trailed off, realization hitting him, "…with a mission alert."

Mr. Davenport and I nodded, both of us upset. They looked back at us, guilt all over their faces. "Well how can we help you…yesterday?" Chase asked with a nervous grin.

"I had to bring Calla and Leo." Mr. Davenport told them. Chase looked at me.

"You okay?" He asked, his tone soft. I crossed my arms.

"I'm fine." I growled. Adam frowned.

"You should have called us." He told me and Mr. Davenport. I glared at him.

"Adam, you're an idiot." I told him, before walking over to my desk. I opened my bag and pulled out a hairbrush. Maybe I'd have just enough time to make myself look presentable before I had to rush off to school.

Just then, Graham walked in. "Good news, team." He announced, looking at his phone. "This weekend, we're off to Paris."

"Enough with the press tour!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed, storming over to Graham. "They have important work to do! Because of you they missed a mission and people got hurt!"

"Well, that's unfortunate, but they had other priorities right now." Graham told Mr. Davenport, before walking off.

"Other priorities?" I repeated as Mr. Davenport and I turned towards the others.

"Oh, so getting your faces in front of the camera is more important than saving lives?" Mr. Davenport questioned them.

"We didn't say that." Chase objected. "It's just things have changed."

That was the wrong thing to say. "Well, I'm glad we got sixteen years of bionic training so you could do the weather for AM San Diego."

Although Mr. Davenport was just exaggerating, Adam, Bree, and Chase looked at each other nervously. "That's tomorrow." Bree told us.

Mr. Davenport shook his head at them. "You know what? I'm really disappointed in you guys." He started to walk away. "All our hard work, and all you care about is being famous."

"Mr. Davenport-" Chase tried to reason with him, but the man wasn't going to listen.

"You know what? Save it!" Mr. Davenport snapped. "I thought you guys were heroes. I guess I was wrong."

With that, Mr. Davenport walked out of the lab. I shoved my hairbrush back into my bag and started to leave as well, only for Chase to grab me by the wrist. "You know that we don't only care about the fame, right?" He asked me.

I sighed and shouldered my backpack. "Well, you guys seemed pretty content to run off with Graham when you knew you had more important things to deal with." I told him. He flinched at my tone, but I didn't care.

"Calla-" Chase began, but I didn't give him the chance.

"By the way, I had to give our dinner reservations to my cousin Faith and her new boyfriend." I told him, starting to leave.

"I missed our date, didn't I?" Chase realized. I didn't answer him as I headed for the door. "Calla, wait!"

"Chase," I stopped, not looking behind me, "I'm running on two hours of sleep and half a granola bar. You really don't want to start an argument with me right now."

I stormed out of the lab without another word, heading for school.

xxx

"I hate cafeteria food." I grumbled to myself, stabbing the mystery meat with my fork. Suddenly, a paper bag was dropped in front of me.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I bought you lunch then." I glanced up from my meal to see Chase sitting down in the seat across from me. I glanced at the bag.

"What is this?" I questioned. He smiled.

"Taco Bell. It's fast food, but it's still Mexican." He pointed out. I looked at him incredulously for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Okay, that is good." I agreed, pulling some food out of the bag. "That is awesome."

Chase laughed. "Well, it was the least I could do." He said. "So, about earlier."

"I was rude and mean. I'm sorry." I apologized. He shook his head.

"We should have been there. I know how much you hate going on missions." He said. I nodded.

"I thought you were going to San Diego." I mentioned, taking a bite of the fajita that Chase brought me. He shook his head.

"There's been a little change in plans." He told me, smirking. "We get to meet President Obama."

"Are you serious?" I questioned. He nodded. "Have fun."

"I want you to be there." Chase continued. I frowned.

"Why? You don't need me to do anything, and Kieran, Leo, Caleb and I were going to study for next week's biology test." I reminded him. Chase smiled deviously.

"Trust me; you're going to want to be there." He told me. Something in his tone made me smirk.

"Okay, this sounds…interesting." I admitted. Chase smiled and leaned forward to kiss me.

"It will be." He promised. "On a completely related note, I'm starting to get why you hate Agent Graham."

"What did he say?" I asked, looking at Chase. He sighed.

"Oh you know. He threatened to lock us in cages like 'the circus freaks we are'." He quoted. I gasped.

"I'm going to kill him." I decided, starting to stand up. Chase grabbed my hand and pulled me back down.

"Wait until after we do our presentation for the president." He told me. I sighed.

"Fine." I agreed, then sighed. "Now, go on. Tell me all about Des Moines and Einstein's brain."

Leo's POV

"Hey Janelle." I greeted, walking into the gym. I figured that she'd be here working on her science fair setup instead of having lunch in the cafeteria, and I was right. "Need any help?" I offered.

She smiled at me. "Sure, can you put this over there?" she asked before handing me a cardboard cut out of Adam. I looked at it, slightly annoyed.

"I can think of a few places I'd like to put this." I muttered, placing it behind her table like she asked. "But why do you need a fake bionic man when you have the real thing standing right in front of you?"

Janelle looked at me, an amused smirk on her face. "This again?" She sighed. "Leo, I'm busy. I don't have time to talk about your make-believe bionic arm."

"Okay, well I've got something that will make you believe." I told her, walking to the center of the room. I looked for a target, decided on the garbage can, and activated my bionics. A laser sphere flew out from my hand and hit it, causing it to fly into a display on the other side of the room.

"Did you just…" Janelle stared at me, wide-eyed. I smirked.

"Shoot a laser sphere out of my hand? Yes, yes I did." I replied confidently. Janelle looked shocked.

"Wow." She shook her head in disbelief. "You really are bionic."

"I told you." I commented. "Hey, you want to see my pyrokinesis?"

I raised my hand into the air, rapidly shooting little bursts of fire into the air. It was all going smoothly, until my arm suddenly started jerking around. Fire balls started going everywhere. While most of them burnt out before they could cause any real damage, one of them hit the Adam cardboard cut-out. It knocked the head clean off, caught fire, and hit the table. The tablecloth caught fire, and soon Janelle was trapped in the corner by a wall of flames.

Fire alarms started going off as Janelle stared at the flames in fear. There was no way for her to escape. "Are you okay?" I shouted.

"Do I look okay?" She screamed back.

"Well, you look fine now! It's the next few minutes that I'm worried about!" I retorted.

Calla's POV

"Adam, Bree, and Chase all said that they want us here! Besides, President Obama is here!" I insisted, dragging Mr. Davenport down the hall to the lab.

"I don't care if the president is coming, I don't want any part of this." Mr. Davenport snapped, pulling his arm away from me. I smirked.

"Yeah well, you were demoted and I'm your supervisor, so you don't have a say." I replied, leaning against my desk and grabbing my smoothie. Chase sent me an appreciative look from where he and his siblings stood in their mission suits.

"He's here! Everyone in position." Graham instructed, straightening his tie and standing by the others. The President walked in then, accompanied by two of his body guards. "Mr. President." Graham greeted, shaking his hand. "Welcome to the home of the world's first bionic super humans."

"It's an honour to meet you, Mr. President." Chase said, stepping forwards. "I'm Cha-"

He was cut off midsentence by Adam as the older boy bowed. "Good tidings my lordship."

"Adam." Mr. Davenport muttered under his breath. I merely face-palmed, hoping that this wouldn't end up a total train wreck.

The President pointed at everyone's favourite idiot. "He must be Adam." He assumed. Bree nodded, smirking.

"And you must be disappointed." She added. "I'm Bree."

"Very nice to meet you." The President smiled at them. "I just wanted to thank you for all the lives you've saved."

"It was our honour, sir." Chase replied. Graham looked at him.

"Okay team. It's time to show our commander and chief how your bionics work." He instructed. "Bree, you're up!"

"Absolutely, Agent Graham." I raised my eyebrows, suspicious. Whenever Bree used that tone of voice, she was planning something. "This is my superspeed."

Bree sped to the other side of the room, then back, then she sped around Graham several times. When she finally skidded to a stop, he fell to the ground, dizzy. Mr. Davenport and I looked at her in confusion. What was going on? Why had she done that?

"What's the matter with you?" Graham whispered, glaring at her.

"I don't know. I guess I spent so much time being a celebrity instead of training, that I can't control my bionics." She said with a shrug. Mr. Davenport turned on her.

"Bree, would you stop messing around?" He hissed. "The President is standing right there!"

"I know The President is standing right there." Bree told him in a hushed voice. Then it all clicked.

"Ah." Mr. Davenport and I said in unison, both of us figuring out their plan at the same time. I glanced over Bree's shoulder to smile at Chase. He gave me a thumbs up in return, grinning.

"Sorry about that, sir." Graham told The President, having recovered. Chase turned towards the man.

"Mr. President, how about I demonstrate my telekinesis?" He offered. The President nodded.

"Sure." He agreed. Chase stepped forward and raised his hand. The smoothie in my hand started hovering midair, flying above all of our heads. When it hovered above Graham's head, Chase discreetly turned his hand and the smoothie tipped over, the strawberry and banana goodness spilling all over Graham. Then the now empty cup fell to the floor.

Everyone tried to hide their smirks at that, but it was even harder when Chase added "Oopsie."

"Graham, what is going on?" The President demanded, looking at the smoothie covered man.

"It's fine." Graham lied.

"Everything's fine. Adam, why don't you show the President that thing you do with your breath."

Adam sighed and walked up to the President. Then, he breathed loudly in his face. The President grimaced at the smell and Graham let out an annoyed groan.

"Not that! The big force thing." Graham told him. Adam nodded.

"Oh, you mean this." He realized. He glanced meaningfully at me and Mr. Davenport, motioning for us to move. Mr. Davenport stepped behind the supercomputer while I ducked in between Bree and Chase, taking the latter's hand. Adam turned towards Graham, sucked in a deep breath, then blew. Wind the strength of a tornado flew from his mouth, sending Graham back several feet.

"That's enough! Okay, that's enough." Graham called, gripping my desk so that he would not go flying out of the room. Adam, however, didn't stop once.

"His bionic breath must be stuck!" Chase exclaimed, almost too cheerfully.

"Davenport! Do something!" Graham shouted. Mr. Davenport laughed.

"Oh! Look who finally needs my help!" He grinned. Graham sent him a glare, then looked at my desk.

"Don't worry, Mr. President! I'm sure one of these buttons will take care of everything!" He exclaimed, reaching for one. My eyes widened when I saw which, but there was nothing I could do. Graham hit the button and the floor beneath the President and his body guards disappeared. They fell through the floor into the bottom part of the lab.

"Oh no." Graham paled and ran towards the hole.

"Get me out of here!" The President's angry shout could be heard all the way up here. Mr. Davenport grinned.

"Nice job Graham. That's one way to get noticed by your boss." He commented. I nodded in agreement.

"But it's not a very good way to keep your job." I pointed out. I glanced at the messy liquid still covering him. "By the way, you owe me a smoothie."

Leo's POV

"Janelle!" I shouted, running back into the gym, a fire extinguisher in my hands. She was standing in the corner, the farthest place she could get from the flames. "Don't worry Janelle; I'll save you."

"That's why I'm worried!" She snapped. I rolled my eyes.

"Cover your face." I ordered. Her arms flew up to protect her pretty face and I started the fire extinguisher, spraying the foam everywhere and screaming the entire time. After a minute, Janelle got annoyed.

"You can stop spraying! The fire is out!" She told me. I did as she said and she looked up from under her arms. Her face was the only part of her not covered in foam.

"I know, I was trying to extinguish your rage." I explained.

Xxx

"You know," I began, using a towel to get some of the foam out of Janelle's hair, "someday we're going to look back on this-"

"-And I'll still be angry." Janelle interrupted me. I sighed and dropped the hand holding the towel. "What just happened?"

"I'm sorry." I apologized. "I just want you to like me as much as you like Adam."

Janelle smiled at me. "Leo, I like you more than I like him. Which is strange because you're always trying to kill me." I laughed at that, although she didn't seem amused. "It's not funny yet."

That got me to shut my mouth. "I'm going to go hose off." Janelle told me, walking away. I watched her as she left.

"Hey!" I spun around when I heard Douglas' angry voice. "You swiped my remote!"

He stopped suddenly and took a look around the room. He looked at me. "Uh-oh. Did you do this?" I smiled guiltily. "See, this is why I can't trust you with your bionics!"

"I'm sorry, I had to use them!" I exclaimed. "When Janelle kept talking about Adam, I got jealous and-"

Douglas cut me off, smiling. "I get it. This was all about a girl. You were afraid you were going to lose her. I've been there."

I looked at him. "You have?"

"Not really." He admitted. "Ladies love me."

I sighed and pulled out the remote. "So I guess you're going to turn off my bionics permanently now?" I guessed, handing it to him.

"Tell you what. As soon as you clean up this mess, I'll start training you on how to use your bionics properly." He offered. I stared at him.

"Really?" I questioned. He nodded.

"Yeah. I can't expect you to know how to drive a car when you bionic arm-bike still has the kickstand on."

I looked at him, ignoring the bad joke. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Douglas replied, just as serious. "Oh, one more thing."

He reached into his backpack and pulled out a jar of pickles. "Would you please? I haven't eaten all day."

I shook my head, but took the jar from him anyway. It was the least I could do after he promised to train me.

Calla's POV

"I wonder how Graham's going to get out of this one." Chase said to me. I chuckled as the President, his bodyguards, and Graham walked back into the lab.

"So, Mr. President, anything else you'd like to see?" Graham asked, sounding nervous.

"Yes, your qualifications for this job." The President replied. I smirked.

"We'd all like to see those." I murmured. Chase smirked at my words. The President looked at his bodyguards.

"Call Washington. Have them send a replacement for this clown immediately." He ordered.

"Mr. President," Bree stepped forward, "we have a replacement. Him."She pointed at Mr. Davenport.

The President frowned. "The smoothie guy?" he questioned.

"He's not the smoothie guy, he's our father." Chase corrected. "And our real leader."

"Agent Graham doesn't care about our missions or helping people. He just wants to make money off of us." Bree accused. The President looked at Graham.

"Is this true?" He questioned.

"Sir, with all due respect, we can't let a civilian control the world's most powerful weapons." Graham tried to convince him, not realizing that he said the wrong thing.

"Weapons?" The President echoed. "They're not weapons. They're his children. You're done Graham." He looked at his bodyguards. "Get him out of here!"

"Yes!" I exclaimed, unable to contain myself as they dragged him away. Everyone turned to look at me. "Oh come on! You were all thinking it!"

The President looked at Adam, Bree, and Chase. "And she is?"

I opened my mouth to introduce myself, but Mr. Davenport beat me to the punch. "She's the smoothie girl." He told the President. I looked back at him. "Remember, I like my papaya smoothies to be in Davencups, not the lame paper ones you get at the store."

I laughed. "I'll keep that in mind, sir." I replied. I turned towards the President. "Calla Parker, lab assistant. It's a honour to meet you sir."

"It's a pleasure, Miss Parker." He nodded before turning to Mr. Davenport. "Mr. Davenport, the government owes you an apology. We had no right to come between you and your family."

"And Mr. President, we owe you an apology too." Chase said. "Our bionics didn't really glitch. We just had to expose Graham and show you that he wasn't qualified to lead us."

"I figured something was up." The President agreed. "I've seen the footage of your abilities. They're quite impressive."

Adam, Bree, and Chase smiled proudly. The President turned back to Mr. Davenport. "Listen, if you can keep me briefed, I see no reason why you shouldn't resume control here."

"Thank you Mr. President." Mr. Davenport smiled, shaking his hand. The President reached into his pocket.

"Before I leave, I have one more thing I need to do." He announced. He pulled out his phone, leaned back so that he was next to Adam, Bree, and Chase, and snapped a photo. "BAM! Bionic selfie." He explained. He saw our looks and cleared his throat. "It's for my daughter."

We all raised eyebrows at that, clearly showing that we didn't believe him. He walked away without another word. We all looked at each other.

"Okay, I say we all get smoothies to celebrate Graham's removal." Mr. Davenport announced. We all grinned.

"Sounds fun." "Cool." "I love smoothies." "Great." We all replied. He nodded.

"Calla, go get us some smoothies." He ordered. I looked at him and he smirked, clearly not about to back down. I sighed.

"I do not get paid enough for this." I muttered, but still I smiled.

Leo's POV

"Okay Leo, this is the expert training target." Douglas declared, showing me Calla's new holographic target that he'd gotten her to make. "You'll be lucky to even make contact."

I raised a hand, aimed, and shot three fire balls through the center of the target. Douglas stared at it. "Triple bulls-eye?" He sounded amazed.

"You were saying?" I questioned. He looked at me, impressed.

"Wow, good job." He admitted. He raised the remote. "A few more weeks and I just might feel comfortable to take off your training wheels."

"A few weeks?" I demanded. No! I wanted them off now!

"We have to be cautious." Douglas warned. "We never know when you might accidently lose control again."

I looked at him, about to object, when I got an idea. "You're right, Douglas. An accident can happen at any moment."

I started to walk away, but stopped suddenly and raised my hand. A laser sphere shot from my hand and hit the remote, destroying it. I grinned at his annoyed expression. "Oops."


	21. Alien Gladiators

Chase's POV

"Hey Calla." I greeted as I walked into the lab, Adam and Bree behind me. My girlfriend briefly glanced up from her computer to smile at me, then went straight back to work. I smirked and leaned on the back of her chair, peering over her shoulder to see what she was up to. "Are those new designs?"

Calla nodded, then saved her work and shut her laptop. "Yeah, it's a new product I was hoping to get in The Call."

I frowned. "But that's months away."

Calla nodded. "Yes, but it's only at the designing phase. Besides, then I have to wait for the prototype, then I'm going to have to fix whatever glitches that comes with because we all know that prototypes generally come with a lot of them, then I'm going to have to wait for the final product and then-"

"Enough with the tech talk, nerds!" Adam complained, leaning on Leo's desk. Calla rolled her eyes.

"In short, I'm only at stage one and I have to be very efficient if I want the final stage to be done in time for The Call." She explained. I nodded and she brightened up. "But never mind that, how was Los Angeles?"

Ever since Agent Graham, or Mr. Evil-Man, as Calla enjoys calling him (she really doesn't like government men for some reason) was removed from our lives, there had been a lot less press conferences. However, Mr. Davenport had asked that we be at the opening of his new Davenport Industries building in Los Angeles, so we'd been gone for a couple of days.

"It was great! You should have seen the gift store!" Bree exclaimed. Calla laughed.

"Please, I know what those gift stores sell. Nothing but Davenmugs and T-shirts with my boss' face on them. And let's not forget the calendar." We all shuddered at the thought of that abomination. Adam shook his head though and pulled out his backpack.

"Check out what they have! This is even cooler than being famous!" He grinned as he pulled out his souvenir. It was a miniature, bobble-head version of himself. "They have mini-versions of Bree and I, and a life-size version of Chase!"

"Why are yours life-size?" Calla frowned. I rolled my eyes, glaring at Adam.

"They aren't." I told him. Adam's grin grew.

"Well, it's not like he could get any smaller." He pointed out.

Calla bit her lip to keep from smiling and looked up at me from her seat. "You have to admit, that's a good one." She told me. I shook my head.

"Oh, I got you something." I told her, reaching into my pocket. She raised an eyebrow.

"As much as I would enjoy a bobble-head Chase Davenport, I'll pass." She told me. I smirked.

"It's not a bobble head. I didn't even get it at Davenport Industries." I told her, pulling out the small black bag. I handed it to her and she opened it, a curious look in her eyes. They widened when she saw what was inside.

"Oh my god, Chase. I love it!" She grinned at me, pulling the necklace out. It was a silver chain with a dolphin hanging off of it, the silver creature curled around an aquamarine stone. "It must have cost a fortune!"

"Don't worry about it." I replied, waving off her concerns about money. Honestly, it hadn't cost that much and the lady at the store gave me a discount once she realized who I was (I wasn't about to say no to that) but Calla didn't need to know that.

The brunette spun around in her seat and allowed me help her put the necklace on just as Leo ran into the room.

"Guys!" He exclaimed, running in. We all looked at him and his wide grin. "Alien Gladiators are coming to Mission Creek!"

Adam gasped. "I knew this day would come! Thankfully, I came prepared for the alien invasion." He exclaimed, rushing to where we kept our stuff. He came back seconds later, a tinfoil hat sitting on top of his head. We all stared at him while he continued to talk. "Chase, you hold them off while the rest of us who deserve to live escape!"

He grabbed Calla and Bree by the arms and started dragging them out of the room.

"No, no, no. Not real aliens." Leo explained. "My favourite sci-fi franchise: Alien Gladiators. They hold annual fan conventions and this year, it's in Mission Creek."

"I love Alien Gladiators!" I exclaimed. "'In the future, rivals alien worlds, the Morps and the Zarcanians, will battle over control of the galaxy!'"

"Oh, I remember that movie." Adam nodded. "It was terrible; the whole thing was blurry."

Bree laughed. "You didn't wear your 3D glasses." She reminded him.

"Well I didn't want to look stupid." Said the boy wearing the tinfoil hat. I looked at Calla.

"I bet the entire cast will be there!" I grinned. "I have everybody's autograph, except for that new guy who's going to be playing Prince Landor in the sequel, André Ethier."

Bree's eyes nearly popped out of her head then. "Whoa, back up. As in baseball superstar, André Ethier?" She questioned. I frowned at her.

"Since when do you care about baseball?" I asked, knowing full well that Bree didn't care for sports that much.

"I love baseball! You know…with the bases and… the ball…" We all looked at her. "Okay, whatever. André Ethier is cute and if he's there, I'm there."

"You coming, Calla?" I asked. She hesitated.

"I have a lot of work to do and-" She began, only to be cut off by Leo.

"They're bringing back the fire-staff challenge." He told her. Hey eyes brightened immediately.

"I'm there!" She grinned. Adam frowned.

"What's a fire-staff?" he asked. Leo grinned and grabbed what looked like a bo staff with lights off his desk.

"This is a fire-staff." He announced, spinning it around. He hit it on the ground and the staff lit up in a bright green colour. Adam looked at it, unimpressed.

"It looks like a stick with lights." He pointed out.

"It's a fire-staff!" Leo snapped. Calla grinned.

"The competitors fight each other with their own staffs." She explained. Leo nodded.

"And this year, the winner's going to get a walk-on role on the next movie." He continued. We all grinned. "And that winner is going to be me."

Calla laughed. "Sure it is Leo. Keep on telling yourself that." She teased. Leo gave her a look.

"You think you're better than me?" He challenged. Calla looked at him, clearly amused.

"Leo, I've been helping Chase with his bo staff training for a few years now. I think I have the advantage." She reminded him.

"Ah, but you forget who taught him to use a bo staff in the first place." We turned around to see Mr. Davenport walk into the lab, dressed in a long flowing cloak and carrying his own fire-staff, this one blue. "Greetings, good Morps."

Calla and Leo stared at him. "What are you doing?" Calla questioned.

"I'm getting ready for the Alien Gladiator's convention." He explained. "I am Elder Lumina. And Elder Lumina will be victorious in the fire-staff challenge."

Leo chuckled. "Look, Elder-ly Lumina, I hate to get your robe in a bunch, but… that role is mine."

"Actually, it's mine. Don't kid yourself Dooley – neither of you have a chance to win." Calla snapped. Mr. Davenport looked at her and laughed.

"In your dreams. I've been watching these movies my entire life and winning that role will fulfill my biggest childhood dream."

Calla and Leo looked at him. "I think childhood dreams expire when you hit forty." "Yeah but your childhood must have been centuries ago!" They both told him.

"Alright, back up micro Morps." He raised his fire-staff and started spinning it around his body with an expert's touch. He had made a good point earlier; he had taught us how to use bo staffs. He was far from being an amateur.

When he was done, Calla and Leo looked stunned and mildly fearful. "Still think I'm too old to compete?"

Calla had the sense to keep quiet. Leo, on the other hand, couldn't help but make another comment. "I'm not sure whether I'm more surprised by your moves, or the fact that your dentures didn't fall out."

Mr. Davenport glared at him and Leo was smart enough to start running as the older man chased after him, his fire-staff in hand.

xxx

Twenty-four hours later and Leo was still showing off his moves. This time we (Bree and I) were sitting on the bench in the school lobby, watching as Leo swung his fire-staff around and around.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Leo asked after showing us another move. He nodded at the staff. "It's shiny because I showered with it."

"…Okay." "That's not weird at all." Bree and I commented. Bree stepped forward.

"Do you really think you can beat Calla and Mr. Davenport?" She asked doubtfully. Leo rolled his eyes.

"Please. Once Big D starts sweating, he'll go blind from his hair dye." Leo replied confidently. "And as for Calla, I'll just have Chase distract her."

"No, you won't." I corrected. He sent me a look, but didn't have a chance to object as Adam and Jaden walked down the stairs towards us.

"Alright, I'm all caught up on Alien Gladiators." Adam announced. Jaden frowned.

"Okay, how has he not seen the movies? I don't usually watch sci-fi, but even I've seen every movie." Jaden commented. Bree looked at him.

"You're not into sci-fi stuff? But you have two toy lightsabers at home, along with a Tardis-shaped cookie jar in your kitchen." She pointed out. Jaden sighed.

"Calla seems to get a new science fiction obsession every year. This year it's Alien Gladiators, last year was Doctor Who, the year before that was Star Wars…I'm terrified to find out what it's going to be next year." He sighed. Adam sent him an annoyed look.

"ANYWAY," he said loudly, clearly not liking that he was ignored, "They are great movies, but they're missing one thing; Space Dog."

We all stared at him. "Space Dog?" I repeated when he didn't clarify.

"Yeah, he'd be the perfect companion. Besides, in space, after he's done his business it just floats away." He suggested. Bree rolled her eyes, then looked at Jaden.

"So, are you coming to the event with us?" She asked. He nodded.

"Definitely." He agreed. Suddenly, I heard an annoyed sigh from behind us. Calla was walking towards us, Kaitlin following her.

"Please, please, please?" She was begging. "I'll be your best friend again!"

"Kaitlin." We all greeted, fake smiles on our faces. Kaitlin had been Bree and Calla's best friend once upon a time, but ever since the secret about our bionics came out, she'd been avoiding us like a plague. Not because we were bionic, but because we all lied to her, which I suppose is a pretty good reason. It wasn't like I minded that much – Kaitlin wasn't my favourite person in the world, but I still had to be nice to her because Calla and Bree would kill me if I wasn't.

"Hey guys." She greeted, smiling at us. I glanced at Calla, whose face was screaming 'save her from me!'.

"So, what can we do for you?" I asked, trying to help. Kaitlin grinned at me.

"Well, I was wondering if you guys were going to the convention tomorrow." She began. I nodded.

"Yep; we're even dressing in character. I'm going as Gigabit. Half human, half robot." To show her what I meant, I started doing the robot.

"And I'm going as Prince Landor." Leo told her. "Handsome, yet brave, yet handsome."

"Well, I will be going as the beautiful Queen Andromeda." Bree declared. Kaitlin gave her a look.

"Really? You?" She questioned. Bree nodded, looking mildly offended by Kaitlin's tone. "Well, it is a fantasy world."

"So, are you going to the convention, Kaitlin?" Jaden asked. She sighed dramatically.

"Well, I was, but I don't have anyone to drive me." She looked at us pleadingly and I figured out what was going on between her and Calla.

"Sure. We'll drive you." Jaden offered, ignoring the annoyed look on Calla's face. Kaitlin beamed at him.

"Thanks Jaden, you're incredible!" She exclaimed, before walking away. Jaden looked at his sister.

"Why did you say yes?" She demanded. Jaden crossed his arms.

"I know you're mad at her for being mad at you for lying to her, but you both need to get over it, and I think Kaitlin has." He told her. She glared at him and I decided to quickly change the subject.

"So Jay, Cal, who are you guys going as?" I asked. Jaden grinned.

"I'm going as the great and powerful, King Thanasis." He declared. Calla rolled her eyes.

"I'm going as Zephyra, the assassin." She replied. "She's a pretty cool character, and my only other option was going as Pelageya, the Queen's servant. And I am not being Bree's servant."

"Aww, but that would be fun, me telling you what to do all day." Bree teased. Meanwhile, Leo was still messing around with his fire-staff. He swung in one direction, then spun around to jab in another. Except Perry walked out of the nearby classroom, nearly being hit by the fire-staff.

"Watch the glow stick, Circ Du So-lame." She snapped, pushing the fire-staff away.

"Sorry Principal Perry, just getting my Morp on." Leo explained. "There's an Alien Gladiators competition tomorrow and-"

"Blah, blah, blah. I hate all the Morp stuff." Perry said. Leo looked at her, stunned.

"But Alien Gladiators rule!" He objected, holding up his fire-staff. Perry grabbed the staff and pulled it away from him.

"No, I rule." She corrected. "And that's why I'm confiscating this stick. No weapons allowed on school grounds."

"But I need this for the fire-staff competition!" Leo protested, trying to take his fire-staff back. Perry pulled it away from him once again.

"And I need it to unclog my toilet." Perry grinned, walking away. Leo watched her go, looking seriously peeved.

"But that's not fair!" He complained. Calla crossed her arms.

"Actually, it is fair, Leo." She pointed out. We all stared at her.

"Did you just side with Perry?" Bree demanded. Calla shrugged.

"You're not allowed weapons on school grounds – it's in the rule book. Why do you think I didn't bring my fire-staff to school?" She questioned. Leo glared at her, crossing his arms.

"Know-it-all." He muttered.

Xxx

So, we were all at the event, all dressed up in our costumes. Bree's Queen Andromeda costume consisted of a long black and silver dress and a large crown. My costume was basically just a robot costume, nothing really special to it. As for Adam, he was wearing a giant dog costume, a clipboard in his hand.

He walked over to a group of people, grinning widely. "Please sign my petition to get Space Dog in the next Alien Gladiators!" He said. "He'll make a solid addition to the team, bark my words."

I rolled my eyes. "Will you leave people alone?" I demanded. "Nobody cares about Space Dog. And you look ridiculous in that thing."

"Space Dog isn't concerned with looks!" Adam exclaimed as I pulled my helmet off. "Space Dog only protects. And occasionally eats his own vomit."

I turned to make a joke to Bree, but stopped when I saw the autograph line. "There's the line for the autograph signing. I brought my action figure carrying case for Prince Landor to sign." I grinned, holding up the tin box. Bree glanced at me.

"You mean André Ethier?" she questioned. I looked at her like she was crazy.

"No, I mean Prince Landor. Who would want a baseball player's autograph?" I questioned. Bree sighed, shaking her head. Then Adam decided to speak up.

"You know what Prince Landor needs? A-" I cut him off before he could continue.

"If you so much as mention Space Dog to Prince Landor, I will roll up the windows on the space ship and park you next to the sun." I threatened. That shut my brother up.

"Hey, I wonder where Jaden, Calla, and Kaitlin are?" Bree said aloud, scanning the crowd for her boyfriend as we got into the line.

"Jaden and Kaitlin said they'd meet us here." I told her. "Calla will too, but only after she has crushed Leo and Mr. Davenport in the fire-staff challenge."

Bree looked at me. "You really think she's going to win?"

I nodded. "Have you seen that girl with a bo staff? Calla can be very deadly when she wants to be." I reminded her. She thought about it, then nodded.

"You've got a…you've got to be kidding me!" She exclaimed, glaring at the crowd.

Leo's POV

I found Big D at the competition site, dressed in his Elder Lumina and practicing his moves.

"Hey Big D." I greeted, walking up to him with my own fire-staff in hand. He turned around and smirked at me.

"What took you so long? Nervous?" he teased. I shook my head.

"No, I had to sneak into Principal Perry's office to get my fire-staff back." I explained. Then I remembered what I'd seen in the cage in the closet. "By the way, is it legal for her to have a pet jackal?"

Big D shrugged. "I'm ready." He grinned, turning on his blue-fire staff. "Let's do this!"

He then proceeded to attack the nearest person, knocking them off the stage.

"The competition hasn't started yet." I informed him. A look of realization crossed his face.

"Oh." He looked down at the guy that he'd attacked. "Sorry!"

"By the way, have you seen Calla?" I asked. "Jaden was giving her a ride, wasn't he?"

"I'm right here, Dooley." I heard from behind me. I turned around to see a smirking Calla leaning on a lavender-coloured fire-staff. She was dressed in her Zephyra outfit, which consisted of a black jacket, a silver shirt, black pants, knee high silver boots, and silver fingerless gloves. "So, what do you think?"

I nodded my approval. "Nice. What do you think of my outfit?" I asked, spinning around to show off the brown and white outfit. She grinned.

"It's cool. I like how you added the red sash. It's a good addition." She complimented. Suddenly, a voice came over the intercom.

"Can all competitors in the fire-staff competition please come to stage and sign in."

And with that, the competition was ready to begin.

Xxx

I got to fight first, facing off against a guy in a black outfit with a white cape and a mask that reminded me of a fly's head. He was good, but I was able to dodge all of his hits and when I got a decent blow to his stomach, he flew off the stage. I turned around and grinned at Calla and Big D. "And that's how you do it in Dooley-ville."

Big D was next, fighting against the guy he threw off the stage earlier. Clearly, the guy hadn't forgotten that and was trying very hard to defeat Big D. Unfortunately for me, my stepdad wouldn't be taken down so easily and after a brief tug-a-war with the fire-staffs, he kicked the man off the stage. "Respect the robe, okay?" Big D said proudly.

Then it was Calla's turn. You know how most nerds are pretty weak and couldn't win a fight to save their lives? Yeah, Calla wasn't like that at all. With a series of swift blows, one after the other, she quickly got the advantage over her opponent and knocked him down. "Is this seriously the best you can do?" She questioned, watching as the fallen fighter got to his feet.

Then it was my turn again. This opponent was much harder and for a brief moment, I thought I might actually lose. Then he ran at me and I ducked to the side, praying he wouldn't hit me. I guess that my prayers worked, because he ran right off the stage. "Not going to lie; Dooley-ville got a little lucky on that one." I admitted.

When Big D fought again, it seemed like it was way too easy for him. A couple of well placed hits and his opponent was flipped off the stage.

Once again, Calla beat her opponent in style, taking him down with a kick to the back of his legs and a strike to his upper back. It didn't look like anyone could beat her.

Then came the semi-finals. It was Calla VS some Zarcanian in a mask, then it would be me VS Big D. Whoever won those fights would face each other in the finals.

"Come on, Calla!" I cheered as my friend got onto the stage. If by some tragedy, I didn't beat Big D, I wanted her to take him down in the finals. Calla might brag and tease me for a month if she won, but he would tease me for the rest of my life.

But Calla's winning streak seemed to be going down the drain. The Zarcanian was tough, blocking all of Calla's hits and landing a few of their own in her stomach.

"Check out that evil Grand Zarcanian." I said to Big D as Calla held her fire-staff up in defence. It was clear that she was having trouble staying in the game. "What a show off. Probably some overzealous fanboy."

Suddenly, that 'overzealous fanboy' managed to get the better of Calla, swinging their fire-staff at her back. The strength of the blow was so powerful that it knocked Calla clean off the stage and she landed on the ground next to us, a confused and pained grimace on her face.

"That fanboy just beat Calla and made it to the finals." Big D pointed out, helping the girl up. "Which means either you or me have to fight them."

"Yeah, have fun with that." Calla growled, rubbing her back while glaring at the person who beat her. "They're good."

"Well, I'll show them how good I am after I crush Leo's dreams." Big D announced, walking onto the stage. Calla gave me a look.

"Beat him. Beat him hard." She instructed. I nodded and grabbed my fire-staff, heading onto the stage.

I had to admit; Big D was a pretty good opponent. At the beginning, it was almost as if he was going easy on me, never really attacking but instead choosing to just block my attacks. Then he stepped back, readjusted his grip on his fire-staff and charge at me. I managed to block it, holding him back with my own fire-staff.

"I trained you well." He commented, smirking. I looked at him.

"You didn't train me!" I snapped, pushing him away and aiming at his shoulder. He blocked the swinging and we continued to spar for a minute. I managed to get a couple of blows in, but in the end, he managed to knock my fire-staff out of my hands. It landed a foot away from me as I hit the ground.

I stared up at him as he smirked. "Now, for the final death blow!" He announced, raised his fire-staff above his head. Then he froze, a panicked look on his face.

I frowned in bewilderment. "What happened?" I asked, confused.

"Nothing!" He hissed, although he was clearly in pain. He still couldn't seem to move from his position. "I'm fine! I can battle!"

Clearly he couldn't, because seconds later, his stiff body fell, hitting the padded area around the stage. The bell rang, announcing me as the winner and Calla and I rushed to Big D's side.

"Are you okay?" Calla demanded. I waved my hand in front of his face.

"Can you see?" I questioned. He frowned at me.

"Of course I can see." He growled. I grinned.

"Good. Because I don't want you to miss a single second of my victory dance!" I jumped back on stage, grabbed my fire-staff, and began to celebrate.

Chase's POV

"You've got to be kidding me!" Bree exclaimed, staring. I turned to see Jaden and Kaitlin standing there, the latter dressed exactly like Bree was. "Hey guys. Great costumes." Kaitlin smiled. "Bree, you dressed up like Queen Andromeda too?"

Bree continued to stare at her. "I told you I was dressing up like Queen Andromeda." Bree exclaimed, clearly annoyed.

"Don't worry, I'm not mad." Kaitlin assured her. Bree looked at her, then at her boyfriend for an explanation. Jaden raised his hands.

"Hey, I'm staying out of this one." He stated, clearly not wanting to be dragged into a fight. Bree sighed.

"Fine. Nice costume, by the way." She told him. She was right; Jaden was dressed in a robe like Mr. Davenport, except his was black and silver. A smaller version of Bree's crown was sitting on top of Jaden's head, but he had chosen to skip on the eye makeup, which was a good idea in my opinion.

"Hey, can we jump in line with you?" Kaitlin questioned. We all looked at her uneasily. None of us wanted to tell her yes.

"I'm not-" I began, only to be cut off by the terrifying girl.

"The Morps pride themselves on being loyal to other Morps, Chase!" Kaitlin snapped. I exchanged a look with Bree, then sighed.

"Okay, fine. Come on in." I sighed. Kaitlin and Jaden grinned, getting into line. But while Jaden stood at the back, just behind Adam, Kaitlin pushed us all out of the way until she was standing in front of us.

"I'm starting to regret agreeing to drive her." Jaden muttered. I was about to agree with him when one of the people working the autograph signing walked down the line.

"Folks, the turnout is higher than expected, so we're cutting off the line." The man announced. "Please don't riot like you did last year; I've only just got feeling back in my scalp."

We all exchanged looks, wondering where the line would be cut off. The man looked around, the pointed at Kaitlin. "Everyone from this point forward gets a wristband granting them access to the André Ethier autograph signing. Woohoo." He handed Kaitlin a wristband, then started handing them to the people in front of her. I looked at him, distraught.

"What about everyone else?" I demanded. He looked at me.

"You get a frustrating story to share in the cafeteria." He replied, walking away.

"Kaitlin!" Bree snapped at her friend. Kaitlin hesitated before turning around.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" she questioned.

Leo's POV

"I am so jealous of you Leo." Big D complained as I helped him stand. "The only thing standing between you and that walk-on role is that evil Grand Zarcanian kid."

"I'm not so sure that's a kid." Calla commented, walking up with a heat pack. She handed it to Big D. "Seriously, no kid is that strong."

"Don't worry, I got this." I assured them, grabbing my fire-staff and jumping on stage.

People started cheering all around me as I faced my masked opponent. "Morp! Morp! Morp!"

"Prepare to face the greatest warrior in all of Morpdom!" I declared, spinning my fire-staff fiercely. I pointed it at my opponent. "Be a man and unmask yourself!"

I regretted those words the second they raised their mask. A horrible, disgusting face was grinning evilly back at me. "Surprise!" Principal Perry sang, adjusting the grip on her fire-staff.

"Ah!" I screamed in surprise. There were gasps from all around; clearly, her evilness was quite known. Even Big D and Calla looked stunned. "Please tell me that's another mask." I pleaded.

Perry just gave me a look. "Principal Perry? You said you hated Alien Gladiators!" I exclaimed. By this point, the official running the competition, Big D, and Calla had joined us on stage.

"No, I said I hated Morps. But the Zarcanians are a deceitful and despicable species." She replied with a grin. "Those are my peeps."

"How did you get this far in the competition?" Big D demanded. Calla nodded.

"There's no way I lost to YOU!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, you have the muscle tone of a new born calf!" I agreed. Perry glared at me.

"He should be eliminated!" She said to the official. "He stole that fire-staff from my locked office. That's illegal."

"So is having a jackal at school!" I retorted. She considered that.

"Fight on!" She declared. But before either of us could attack, a loud bell rang throughout the fighting area. "Dinner Break!" She screamed, running towards the cafeteria.

I watched her go, trying hard to contain my fear at having to fight her. Both Big D and Calla seemed to pick up on it though.

"What's wrong?" Big D asked, concerned.

"Perry fights dirty!" I exclaimed. "I'll never be able to beat her!"

"I think I speak for both me and Mr. Davenport when I say that it would be much more pleasing to see you win that walk-on role than Perry." Calla commented. Big D nodded.

"So perhaps, during the dinner break, Prince Landor would benefit from the sage mentoring of Elder Lumina." He decided. I raised an eyebrow at that.

"The same Elder Lumina that's now using his fire-staff as a cane." I pointed out. Big D glared at me.

"It's not a cane. It's a…space age…walking…enhancer." He decided on, shuffling forward.

Chase's POV

"I can't believe I'm going to meet Prince Landor!" Kaitlin squealed, completely oblivious to the fact that we were all upset with her. "We're going to be best friends!"

"Kaitlin, we were in line first! We only let you in as a courtesy!" Bree exclaimed. I nodded.

"Which is why I deserve that wristband! What happened to Morp loyalty?" I demanded. Kaitlin looked at me.

"Get a grip, dude. It's just a movie." She pointed out. Okay, that was it!

"Give me that wristband!" I shouted, leaping at her and attempting to rip it off her arm. She refused to let go of it and soon, Bree was pulling on her, Adam was pulling on me, and Jaden was trying to push the two of us apart.

Xxx

"My mom is going to kill me if she ever finds out about this." Jaden muttered as he, Adam, Bree, Kaitlin and I slowly walked into the cell in the security office. Yeah, I suppose being detained by security would not seem like a good thing to his police officer mother.

"You're not getting out of here until Mr. Ethier has left the building." The security guard told us. "So sit tight, nerds."

As if things couldn't get any worse, we were not alone in the cell. A short boy in a white Morp suit walked up to us. "Greetings good Morps! I am Mind-Melder, spiritual guide…" He caught sight of Bree and grinned, "And the most eligible bachelor in the galaxy."

Bree stared at the boy, clearly weirded out. Jaden coughed loudly into his hand to disguise his laugh. Clearly, he found the kid more amusing than threatending.

"No, nothing?" Mind-Meldor asked, still looking at Bree. She shook her head and he sighed, turning back to me. "The Zarcanians have captured-"

"Not now, nerd!" I snapped, still angry at Kaitlin. I turned to the girl. "Look at what you've done! Because of you, I'm going to miss out on meeting Prince Landor!"

"Well so am I!" She exclaimed. "And now I'm stuck in here with you, Giga-butt!"

We started arguing then, only to be stopped by the nerdy kid. "Silence Morps!" He shouted. "Halt this bickering, else I will melt thee brains!"

He raised his hands, pretending to melt our brained. I looked down at him, shaking my head. "Okay, it's melt THY brains. Learn your Morpian lexicology." I told him.

Leo's POV

"So, what advice have you got for me?" I asked. Big D thought about it.

"Okay, just like the Zarcanians, Principle Perry's weakness is her anger." He told me. "When they get mad during an attack, they lose sight of their defence."

I nodded; it made sense. "What does that mean?" I asked.

"You've got to get her to charge at you." Big D told me. I looked at him.

"But if I do that, won't she charge at me?" I asked nervously.

Calla smirked. "That's what you want, Dooley." She told me, ignoring the fact that I was shaking my head.

"Calla's right. Then, when's she's charging at you, do my signature move, the Morp Vortex." He finished. I frowned.

"The Morp Vortex?" I repeated. He nodded. "Just so you know, you can get too nerdy with this stuff."

Chase's POV

I can't believe we were still in here! It had already been an hour and the guard had left over twenty minutes ago. Currently, the Mind-Meldor kid was pacing the cell, I was leaning against the bars, Jaden had been absently humming the Jeopardy song under his breath for the past half hour, Bree was sitting in the corner, and Kaitlin was sleeping, drooling into Adam's shoulder.

"Great, now I'm stuck in here with a bunch of weirdos." Adam complained. Bree smirked.

"Says Bree every Saturday night." She commented. I rolled my eyes and turned back to the bars. Then suddenly, something caught my eye. Sitting right next to a large sandwich was a set of keys.

"Guys, look!" I exclaimed. Adam, Bree, and Jaden got up and ran to the bars, Kaitlin falling against the bench, still sleeping.

"The guard left his sandwich!" Adam exclaimed, pointing at the desk. "Chase, you're going to have to use your telekinesis to get it for me!"

"…OR, I could use it to get the keys." I pointed out. Adam nodded.

"But after the sandwich." He instructed. I ignored him and raised my hands to use my telekinesis, but instead, I found myself suddenly being dragged backwards by Bree.

"Hello? You can not do that!" She exclaimed. "If Mind-Meldor realizes that the three bionic humans are in front of him, we'll become the convention."

"What am I, chopped liver?" Jaden questioned jokingly. I smirked, then looked at Bree.

"Don't worry; I've got a plan." I assured her before walking over to Mind-Meldor. I cleared my throat to get his attention. "Mind-Meldor, make haste!" I ordered. The boy jumped to his feet instantly.

"Is there danger, Gigabit?" He asked, confused.

"Yes. Our Zarcanian Overlord left his keys on the desk." I told him. He looked at me.

"Who needs keys when Mind-Meldor can explode steel bars with his mind?" He asked, pretending to blow up the bars.

"Quite impressive." I cut him off before he could continue. "But perhaps you could use your mind-shifting abilities to retrieve the keys?" I suggested.

He just looked at me. "You serious, dude?" He asked. I looked at the others for some help.

Bree sighed. "I am the Morp Queen! Impressive me with your mental prowess and I'll…be into you and stuff."

Jaden glanced at her. "Really?" he mouthed silently. "And stuff?"

Bree rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. But Mind-Meldor, completely unaware of their little exchange, was all for impressing Bree. "Yeah, you will." He agreed confidently. Then, realizing that he'd broken character, he corrected himself. "I mean, your wish is my command, your highness!"

He walked up to the bars, ready to 'retrieve' the keys. Adam smirked. "Hey, while you're at it, can you see if you can get me that sandwich?" he requested. I punched him in the arm, then got Mind-Meldor's attention back on the job.

While the kid was distracted (and by distracted, I mean he was holding his hands out, pretending he had telekinesis) I used my bionics to lift the keys off the table and hover them over to us. Mind-Meldor had this amazed look of disbelief plastered onto his face as the key actually came him way.

"Yes!" I grinned as he handed the key to me. As I rushed to unlock the door, he started freaking out.

"I did it! I am Mind-Meldor!" He exclaimed. I opened the door and he burst through it, running out of the room shouting, "MOM!"

We all chuckled as we exited the cell. Unfortunately, Kaitlin woke up just as we were escaping. She rushed to leave as well, but Adam shut the door on her, locking it. "What are you doing?" she demanded, clutching the bars.

"You betrayed us!" I reminded her. "And Morps pride themselves on being loyal to other Morps, Kaitlin!"

She stared at me, offended, but I didn't actually care. "Later!"

We started to walk out, but accidently ran into…André Ethier!

We all stared in amazement. "Hey, do you guys know where I can change?" he asked. "I've got a game tonight and I don't want to make the mistake of showing up in this thing again. It did not look flattering on the Jumbo-tron."

I looked down at my action figure carrying case. "I'll point you where the bathroom is if you give me an autograph." I offered.

André Ethier smirked. "Baseball fan, huh?" he guessed, taking the case from me.

"Nope." I replied, grinning as he signed it. Bree was still staring at him with hearts in her eyes.

"Hi André, I'm Bree" she introduced. He smiled at her.

"That's a beautiful name." he commented. Her smile grew, as she started giggling nervously.

"Thank you, I came up with it myself." She began to babble. "Wait, wait no I didn't. I don't know why I said that. I-"

Jaden gently covered her mouth with his hand. "You're embarrassing yourself." He warned her before grinning at André Ethier. "Name's Jaden, big fan."

André Ethier smiled back, then handed me the carrying case. "Second door on the left." I pointed out the washroom.

"Thanks." He replied. He started to leave, but stopped at the door. He looked at Adam. "Space Dog, that's brilliant."

He then walked out. Adam stood there for a moment, before running out, screaming, "I KNEW IT!"

Leo's POV

"So, what do you think my odds are?" I asked Calla. She looked at Perry, then at me.

"You really don't want to know." She told me, dead serious. Big D walked up to us then, holding his robe in his hands.

"Prince Landor," he greeted, holding the robe out to me. "Elder Lumina would like to present you with his warrior master robe for battle."

I stared at it, surprised. This was actually a pretty big deal for Big D to give up his robe.

"Wow, thanks Big D." I replied, turning around as he helped me put it on. Then, a terrible odour hit my nose. I sniffed the robe, then looked at him. "Why does it smell funny?"

He grinned. "Because I refuse to wash it." He replied. Calla patted my back.

"Maybe the toxic fumes will make Perry pass out?" she suggested hopefully. I rolled my eyes and listened as Big D gave me some last minute advice.

"Now, Calla and I have taught you everything you need to know to win." He told me. "Now, take Perry down."

Calla handed me my fire-staff and gave me a thumbs-up. I smiled gratefully at them both before stepping on stage. Perry was already waiting there, her mask on and her fire-staff ready.

Not wanting her to get the first blow in, I spun my staff and hit her in the back. She leaned over, her hand out. "Wait, stop! I'm hurt!" She cried.

"Are you okay?" I asked instinctively. Bad idea. Perry slammed her fire-staff into my stomach, the force of the blow sending me back a few steps. I ran at her, ready to strike, but as it turned out, she was ready for me. She blocked all my blows and hit me several times in the back and stomach.

She pushed me back and I barely managed to block the fire-staff with my own. I ran away from her then, stumbling over to the side of the stage where Big D and Calla waited.

"I can't beat her!" I exclaimed, ready to surrended.

"Yes you can!" "Don't be a coward, Dooley!" They encouraged.

Big D sent Calla a look, then turned back to me. "Use the Morp Vortex! Get her to charge at you!" He instructed.

I turned back to see Perry waiting for me impatiently. I sighed and got back to my feet, holding my fire-staff tighter than before. I dodged her first blow, then stood back and smirked. "Hey Principal Perry, while I was in your office, I broke into your cheese drawer!" I taunted. She gasped.

"What's the point in a guard jackal if it doesn't do it's job?" she demanded, charging at me. I leapt over her and hit her from behind. She was knocked back until she was standing on the very edge of the stage.

"Don't let it end like this!" She cried, knowing full well that I was about to win. I was about to hit her with my fire-staff, then changed my mind. I lowered my staff, then blew a soft breeze her way. She fell right off the stage and the alarm went off.

Everyone started cheering for me as the official walked up and gave me my prize; a plaque and the walk-on role in the movie.

"Okay, not bad, Dooley." "Leo, I am so proud of you." Calla and Big D congradulated, walking onto the stage. I smiled at them.

"Thanks. But you know what's even better than this?" I asked. I handed the walk-on role to Big D. "Seeing my step-dad in the next Alien Gladiators movie."

Big D looked at me, stunned. "What?" he asked, confused. I smiled.

"That walk-on role is yours." I replied. He smiled.

"Thank you, Leo." He said. I shook my head.

"No, thank you. I wouldn't have been able to win this without your help." He smiled and gave me a hug. Calla just looked at me.

"I helped too, you know!" She reminded me as Big D went to go talk to the official about his role. I sighed.

"I only have one walk-on role to give away!" I exclaimed. I checked my pockets to see how much money I had. "I'll buy you a pretzel stick from the cafeteria."

She considered that. "Make it a chocolate covered pretzel, and it's a deal."

"Agreed." She gave me a hug, then glanced at Big D.

"It was really nice of you to give him the role, by the way." She told me. I nodded.

"Well, now he can die in peace, so we're all happy." I joked.


	22. Brother Battle

Chase's POV

"Put! Me! Down!" I shouted angrily, pounding my fist against Adam's back to get him to drop me. Seriously, why did he always have to carry me over his shoulder like I was some weight from his weight rack?

"I told you; my weight set broke and I need you to be my barbell!" Adam defended himself. I glared at him, still being held against my will. "And please don't scream this time. It's distracting."

He continued to carry me around. I groaned in frustration. Apparently, using me as a piece of fitness equipment had become his Saturday morning routine. Lucky me.

Suddenly, Mr. Davenport walked down the stairs, probably having heard the racket Adam and I were making. He took one glance at me and Adam and immediately came to my defence. "Adam, out him down. That's how people get hurt." He scolded.

Thank you! "Good point." Adam agreed. "I should probably stretch first."

He tossed me onto the ground without a warning and walked away. I climbed to my feet a second later. "I'm so tired of him." I complained to Mr. Davenport. "So far this week I've been his weight set, his football, and his jump rope!"

"Well, on the bright side, you've never looked more fit." Mr. Davenport joked. I looked at him.

"I'm serious. He's always using his strength to make my life miserable."

"Why don't you get even?" I turned around to see Douglas leaning against one of the support beams.

"How?" I questioned. "None of my abilities can compete with his strength, and it's hard to torture him with brain teasers when he doesn't have a brain."

Mr. Davenport nodded in agreement at that. But Douglas didn't seem amused – he actually seemed pretty serious. "Maybe I can unlock a new ability." He offered. "Give you something you never had before – the upper hand."

I nodded, smiling. "Yes, let's do it!"

"Uh, let's not!" Mr. Davenport snapped, jumping in between us. "Absolutely finito. Forget it!"

"Why not?" Douglas questioned. I frowned at Mr. Davenport. This was a good idea. Why was he siding with Adam on this?

"Because I said so!" Mr. Davenport replied. "You live under my roof, you play by my rules. End of discussion."

With that, he headed back upstairs to finish whatever he had been doing. We watched him go.

"'You live under my roof, you live by my-'" Douglas started mocking Mr. Davenport, only to be caught by the man himself.

"I can hear you!" Mr. Davenport called, cutting Douglas off. By this point, Adam had come back.

"Alright, Chase. My hammies are loose. I'm ready for round two." He announced.

"Ah, ah, ah." I stopped him. "Mr. Davenport says you can't bench press me anymore."

Adam's smile didn't falter in the least. "Yes, but he didn't say anything about you being my shot-put."

I looked at Douglas, expecting him to say something, but he just watching us. "Come on! Let's go for gold!" Adam exclaimed.

Well, that left me with only one thing left to do. I ran. Adam ran after me, chasing me around the house for a long time. I did everything I could to get away from him, but he managed to keep up.

Eventually, I found myself sprinting towards the living room. For a brief second, I thought about just leaving, maybe heading over to Calla's house. I seriously doubted that Adam would follow me all the way over there. But that thought was cut short as I ran straight into another person. We both fell to the ground, both stunned from the hit. Adam came to a skidding stop next to me.

"Look what you did, Chase! You knocked Calla over!" He exclaimed. I sent him a glare and got to my feet.

"Sorry babe." I apologized, holding out my hand. She grabbed it, pulling herself up.

"Let me guess, Adam, you want to use Chase in your daily workout?" She glanced at the older boy. "And you, Chase, are trying to escape."

"Yep." "Of course." We replied. She sighed loudly.

"Okay, I have a solution. Adam, I actually need to talk to Chase, so why don't you go convince Jaden to be your basketball or something?"

He sighed. "Fine." He muttered before sulking off. I looked at Calla and frowned.

"You just told Adam to torture your brother." I commented as she grabbed her backpack off the ground. "Why?"

"This is why." She replied, pulling out a sopping wet science textbook. I frowned.

"Do I even want to know?" I questioned. I looked her over and realized that her textbook was not the only thing that was wet. "Did you take a shower before you came here? Your hair is soaking wet."

"Yeah, I was sitting on the porch, looking over the last chapter we did in class, and my lovely brother decided that it would be hilarious to push me into the pool." She explained. I nodded.

"Ah." I nodded. "Do me a favour and tell me you didn't drown him for it. Bree would be in such a bad mood."

That made Calla laugh. "No, my mom stopped me before I could." She replied. "But can I borrow your textbook? You know almost everything and I need it to study."

"Almost everything?" I repeated. "What's with the almost?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't want your head to get any bigger than it already is." She teased, kissing me on the cheek. "So, textbook?"

I thought about it. "Help me with something first?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Help you with what?" She questioned. I sighed.

"I need you to help me convince Douglas to unlock another one of my hidden abilities so I can get Adam off my back."

She thought about it. "I shouldn't. Whenever you try to get even, it never ends well."

"Name one time-" I tried to object, but she cut me off.

"The time you got even with Adam after he dislocated his shoulder and you nearly suffocated in your capsule." She pointed out.

"Nothing like that's going to happen. I promise." I assured her. She sighed sadly and looked at me.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." She told me. "Now, where's Dougie? We might as well get this over with."

I grinned. "Hey Douglas?" I called. The man came walking into the room.

"Oh, the girl is here." He noted, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter. Calla nodded.

"Yeah, lovely to see you too." She replied. "Anyway, we need you to do something."

"What's up?" He asked, lowering himself onto the couch.

"You have to unlock a new ability for me." I pleaded. "And soon! Before he finds his boxing gloves and hooks me to the ceiling!"

Douglas looked at me. "Sorry, but Donny said no." He replied. "Look, I feel your pain. When we were kids, he'd push me around all the time. Then I outgrew him."

"Then you got the upper hand?" I asked.

"No, he invented a robot to beat me up. Fisto Roboto was as cruel as he was calculating." Douglas told us seriously. Calla gasped.

"Why have I never thought of that? I could just invent a robot to mess with Jaden!" She exclaimed. I gave her a look. "But that is not what we're discussing right now. Besides, if you know what it's like, why won't you help Chase?"

"He said no." Douglas repeated. I sighed. "And I've got to stay on his good side, or else he'll cut off my allowance!"

We both looked at him. "I'm saving up to buy a car." He explained proudly. "You know, in case I have to live in it."

"Okay, remind me to help you find a job." Calla told him. Suddenly, I had an idea of how to get Douglas to do as I wanted.

"You know what? It's fine. I get it. Mr. Davenport is smarter, older, and he controls you."

Calla gave me a look that clearly said 'Even Douglas isn't stupid enough to fall for that' but she was wrong.

"He doesn't control me! He just tells me what to do and when to-" He seemed to realize what he was saying. "You're on! Let's unlock a new ability!"

I grinned. "Told you he would help us!" I whispered to Calla. She didn't say anything, just shook her head at me. Douglas started towards the lab, then stopped.

"Wait." He told us. He turned towards us. "Grab some bats."

"Why?" Calla asked suspiciously. He grinned.

"We're going to pay a little visit to Fisto Roboto."

Calla's POV

"I can't believe you actually drove us all the way out here to beat up some old robot bully." I commented as Chase, Douglas and I entered an old warehouse. "Why did Mr. Davenport even keep it here anyway?"

"He just never got around to destroying it, I guess." Douglas replied, his hand searching the wall for the light switch. "This is where he keeps all the old inventions that he doesn't touch anymore."

The lights flickered on then and my mouth dropped open. "You don't say." I murmured.

It was like heaven in here. Everywhere I looked there were piles and piles of old inventions or spare parts or wicked prototypes that were never finished. I could spend the rest of my life in here exploring them.

Chase looked amazed too. "Why did you never show us this place?" He questioned, turning around in a circle to get a better look at the place. Douglas chuckled at our expressions.

"Come on you two; time to find Fisto Roboto." He tapped his baseball bat against the ground to add emphasis.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up." I told them, starting to wander down the many halls of warehouse. Then, I turned around on the spot. "Hey Douglas…"

He sighed. "Take whatever you want, so long as it fits in your backpack." He told me. I grinned.

"Thanks!" I called before running to the nearest crate of inventions.

Behind me, I heard the boys chuckling. "Girls do love shopping." I heard Douglas say to Chase.

"Yeah, but she's cute when she's excited." Chase pointed out. I ignored both of them and started checking out what there was to use here.

I spent what felt like hours carefully going through the old inventions, occasionally shoving something potentially useful into my backpack. So far, I'd already grabbed what looked like a plasma glove, a failed attempt at building a sonic screwdriver, and what I think were the original design plans for Eddy's mainframe.

"What's this?" I asked myself, pulling out a small box. It was about the size of a cell phone box, with a label on the top that clearly read: FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY. Well, that only made me more curious.

Cautiously, I opened the box. A small black remote with a single button on it was inside with the Davenport Industries logo on the back. There was a small sticky note stuck to the top. The note on it was written in Mr. Davenport's handwriting.

Bionic Disruptor: Press button to temporarily block all bionics in a ten foot range. Can only be used once. 

"Bionic disruptor?" I repeated. Why would he need one of those? Well, with Krane and S-1 out there, it was probably a good idea. But judging by the layer of dust and the make and model of the remote, it had to be at least ten years old. Back then, the only bionics would be Adam, Bree, and Chase and I couldn't even imagine Mr. Davenport using any sort of weapon, even a non-lethal one like this, against them. I couldn't think of a reason why he'd build one.

Still, I didn't put the disruptor back in the crate. Krane and S-1 might be in jail, but for some reason, I had this chilling feeling that they wouldn't be the last bionics Adam, Bree, and Chase ever faced. And now that the secret was out, there was bound to be some idiots who would try make themselves bionic. This could come in handy.

So, I pocketed the invention, swearing right then and there that I would never in a million years use it on Adam, Bree, Chase, or Leo.

Chase's POV

"I can't believe you grabbed so much stuff from Mr. Davenport and Douglas' warehouse." I said to Calla as we walked into the lab. She shrugged and dropped her full backpack onto her desk.

"Douglas said I could take whatever I wanted. Plus, I've got plans for this stuff." She told me.

"Chase, stop talking to your girlfriend and get over here!" Douglas called. "We have to be quick before Donny gets back."

I nodded and walked over to him. Before I could say anything, Douglas shoved a small piece of metal into the side of my neck. "This will let me look through your list of hidden abilities and see which one to give you." He told me. I frowned.

"Why don't you just give me them all?" I asked, confused. Douglas looked at me like I was an idiot.

"No way. The human body can only take so much." He told me, picking up the IPad. "It's like a water balloon. You fill it up too much and…well, I don't want to spend the night scraping Chase chunks off the ceiling."

I shuddered at the thought. Meanwhile, Calla and Douglas were going through the list of hidden abilities.

"Night vision?" Calla suggested, pointing at the IPad. Douglas shook his head.

"Nah, his phone has a flashlight." He replied. He looked at the IPad and grinned. "Acid spit! That sounds fun."

"Until he drools in his sleep and melts his face off." Calla commented. I looked at them, a little offended.

"You guys do realize that I'm still here, right?" I questioned. They ignored me.

"This one?" Calla pointed at another. Douglas shook his head.

"No." He replied. He skipped to the next hidden ability and both of them started laughing.

"Let's not give him that one." Calla managed between giggles. She skipped to the next one and both their expressions turned seriously. "Definitely no to that one."

I coughed loudly, a little annoyed that I'd been cut out of the conversation. Suddenly, they both grinned.

"That one!" "Yes!" They exclaimed simultaneously.

"We've got it." Douglas told me, leaping in front of the super computer. I grinned.

"Sweet!" Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. "Wait, this isn't going to hurt, is it?"

Douglas hesitated. "Well, it's not going to hurt Calla and I."

I looked at him and he chuckled. I faked a laugh too, but was still worried about whether or not he was actually joking.

Calla's POV

"Hey Calla." Adam greeted as he walked into the lab. I glanced up at him and smiled, then went back to my work. "What are you doing?"

"I found Eddy's original programming at one of Mr. D's old warehouses, so I'm using it as a guide to create my own sentient AI system that I can use to help me complete projects in the lab." I explained. He frowned.

"Huh?" He asked, confused. I sighed.

"I'm making an Eddy 2.0." I reworded my sentence. He nodded.

"Cool." He sat down at Leo's desk. "I've got a question for you."

I nodded, shut my laptop's lid, and gave him my full attention. "What's up?"

"Which would be scarier? A horse sized duck or a duck sized horse?" He was completely serious. I sighed. Whenever Adam had a question like that, he expected you to take it just as seriously as he was, or he'd get upset.

"Well, I suppose the horse-sized duck, but if you had a hundred duck-sized horses, then they might have a chance." I said after a moment. He considered this just as Chase walked in.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is." He mused, eyes on Adam. "I sure hope Adam doesn't try to bench press me, or throw me across the room."

Adam was still too busy trying to figure out the duck/horse problem to listen to Chase. "Like right now." Chase continued to try and get Adam's attention. "Tiny doll-like body, just begging to get hurt."

"Not now, Chase. I'm busy." Adam brushed him off. Chase looked at me for an explanation and when I didn't offer him one, he turned back to Adam.

"What are you doing?" he questioned.

Adam sighed. "I'm trying to figure out which is scarier; one hundred duck-sized horses or one giant horse-sized duck."

"Well, I bet they can both take you in a fight." Chase taunted. Adam just looked at him, clearly unimpressed.

"Chase, that wasn't even an option. I need you to take this seriously." Adam told him. "Now, I'm thinking it's the massive duck-"

"Just hit me!" Chase ordered, cutting him off. Adam looked at him, annoyed.

"If you keep interrupting me, I'm going to hit you." Adam warned. Seeing where this was going, I quickly shoved my laptop into the safety of my bag. I could finish my AI later.

"Then do it." Chase requested.

"That wasn't interrupting." Adam replied, still quite calm. "In order to interrupt someone, you actually have-"

"Just hit me!" Chase exclaimed, interrupting him. Then, Adam lost it.

"There it is!" He exclaimed, before stepping towards Chase. Before he could actually attack Chase, the shorter boy stepped into a fighting position, a electric blue bo staff appearing in his hand.

"What's that?" Adam asked, confused. Chase smirked arrogantly.

"Laser bo. It's my new ability." To show off, he spun the bo staff around his body before pointing the weapon at his brother.

"That's not a new ability." Adam laughed. "It's a giant glow stick. But you hang onto it. We'll need it on Halloween when we cross the street."

Chase's smirk didn't waver as he charged at Adam, swinging his bo staff at his head. Although Chase had trained with a bo staff for a long time, Adam wasn't as easy to beat as anticipated. The older boy actually managed to block the first two blows, but then Chase spun around and hit Adam in the stomach, sending him flying into the wall. Adam fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Ow!" Adam complained, sitting up. Chase smirked, then walked out.

"Hey!" Adam called after him, only to be ignored. "None of this would have happened if you hadn't interrupted me!"

I sighed. I hated getting in the middle of their fights, but if I didn't, no one would. "Are you alright?" I asked, offering Adam my hand. He nodded and got to his feet.

"Ow." He muttered. "He's so not getting away with that."

He started to storm off, much to my annoyance. "Do you seriously need to get revenge?" I called after him.

"Yes!" He shouted back, leaving the lab. I sighed.

"Boys." I muttered before running after him.

Chase's POV

"Here is the textbook you requested." I handed my science book to Calla. She smiled.

"Thanks. Caleb and I were going to study later at the library." She replied. I scowled at his name. "What?"

"I don't like you two hanging out so much, that's all." I replied. She sighed.

"He's my friend, Chase. Just my friend." She reminded me. I nodded.

"I know. But I just don't trust him." I told her. She gave me an annoyed look. "How would you feel if I started hanging out with Skylar or some other girl that liked me?"

She crossed her arms. "While you do make a fair point about Skylar, you DO realize that about 40 percent of the girls in the school are part of your fanclub, right? So you hang out with pretty girls that think you're cute every day and I don't complain." She stated. "And unlike Skylar, who will only settle for being your one and only, Caleb hasn't even flirted with me since we started hanging out again."

"Calla…" I tried to object, but she didn't give me the chance.

"He knows better than to mess with someone else's girl, Chase. I thought you said you would try to put up with him." She looked at me pleadingly. "Right now, he's one of my only friends whose last names aren't Dooley or Davenport."

I sighed. "I'll put up with him." I agreed, earning a smile from her, "but that doesn't mean I have to like him hanging around you all the time."

Before she could argue, we heard Adam's voice. "Try to get me now, Chase!"

Not bothering to get off the couch, both Calla and I turned our heads towards the source. Adam was standing five feet away from us, a giant plastic ball surrounding him from the knees up.

"At least he thought to put holes for his feet." Calla commented.

"Adam, what are you doing?" I questioned, staring at him.

"I'm taunting you from the safety of my battle bubble." He replied, sounding quite proud of himself. "This way I can get you, but you can't get me."

Then he activated his heat vision. Calla and I turned away as it burst, sending bits of plastic in every direction. "Is the bubble still around me?" Adam asked after a moment.

I smirked. "Yep, you're good." I replied sarcastically. I stood up. "This won't hurt one bit."

"Chase!" Calla grabbed my hand to stop me, but I pushed it away and activated my laser bo. I was about to attack Adam when I heard the front door open.

"Chase?" I turned around at the sound of Mr. Davenport's voice. Realizing that I was in trouble, I deactivated the bo. "What is going on?"

Adam grinned widely. "Oh! You're in trouble!" He sang gleefully. Calla sat on the couch, watching us all in vague amusement. "Hey, do you want to borrow what's left of my battle bubble?" Adam offered, holding out a strip of plastic.

"Mr. Davenport, I-" I tried to explain, but he held up his hand to stop me.

"No. Not a word out of either of you. Calla," he turned towards my girlfriend, "I want an unbiased explanation now."

"Chase said he'd let me borrow his science textbook if I helped him convince Douglas to give him a new ability to make him and Adam an equal match, and I said yes. After a little trip to beat up an old robot, Douglas gave him the electric bo staff." Calla replied. I sent her a look and she smiled guiltily back. 'Sorry' she mouthed at me.

Mr. Davenport sighed. "Where's Douglas?" He questioned. Calla jumped to her feet.

"I'll get him." She offered. She ran into the other room and came back a second later, dragging Douglas by the wrist.

"What…oh. Busted, are we?" Douglas guessed, seeing the look on his brother's face.

"You went behind my back and gave Chase a new ability?" Mr. Davenport demanded.

"I was only trying to help!" Douglas defended himself. "Look, I know you're mad but…at least I'm not trying to abduct the kids anymore!"

Mr. Davenport did not look amused. "That's true." I tried to help Douglas. "He hasn't committed a felony in weeks."

"Days." Douglas told me.

"Days." I corrected myself.

"Wait! You gave him a new ability?" Adam demanded. Douglas nodded. "Well, don't expect a mug on Father's Day. Oh, darn! I already ordered it!"

Mr. Davenport looked at Adam, Calla and I. "Can you guy give us a moment?" he requested. Adam looked at Calla and me.

"Yeah, thanks guys." He told us before looking at Mr. Davenport. "Hey, don't worry; you're getting a mug too."

"I meant you, Calla, and Chase." Mr. Davenport told him. Adam looked offended.

"Fine, then nobody's getting a mug!" He exclaimed, before remember something. "Oh darn! I already ordered them!"

I started to follow him, but stopped when I saw Calla gathering her things. "Where are you going?" I asked, confused.

"Library, remember?" She replied, shouldering her bag. "Try not to kill each other before I get back."

Xxx

I sighed, walking into the lab. Adam hadn't spoken to me since the battle bubble incident and I didn't blame him. I really messed up this time. I'd gone just a little too far with the revenge, and I had to own up to it.

"Adam?" I called, finding him sitting on the couch in the lab. He looked at me, but didn't say anything. "I'm sorry I went overboard with my new ability. Having that kind of power is…exhilarating."

Adam stood up. "See, now you understand why I beat on you all day long." I didn't say anything, although I really wanted to. "Hey, I hope this brings us closer."

I nodded. "Look, now that I've made my point, can we agree that things need to go back to normal?"

Adam thought about it. "Sure." He held out his hand. "Put it there, bro."

I grinned and went to shake his hand. But as I stepped forward, he pulled his hand back, took a deep breath, and hurricane-like winds pushed me back until I was lying on the ground on the other side of the lab.

I looked up at him from the ground, eyes wide. "What was that?"

"My pressurized lung capacity or, as I like to call it, my blow thingy. I discovered it before our meeting with the president, remember?" He questioned. I groaned. How could I forget?

I jumped to my feet and looked at him. "I thought that was still glitching!"

"Douglas fixed it for me because he wanted to make things even between us." He replied. "I asked for machine guns in my eyebrows, but he said that would just give me headaches."

"I thought you just agreed that things should go back to normal!" I protested.

"Well, they are." Adam told me. "I'm more powerful than you again and there's nothing you can do about it."

Oh really? "Oh, there's definitely something I can do about it." I growled, activating my laser bo.

Adam chuckled. "Silly Chase. Your glow thingy is no match for my blow thingy."

Xxx

Half an hour and three broken chairs later, Adam and I were still fighting. I briefly wondered how Mr. Davenport would react when he saw that we'd pretty much trashed the lab, but I was too focused on winning to care for more than a few seconds.

Adam blew another gust of wind at me, sending me tumbling over Leo's desk. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mr. Davenport and Douglas enter the room.

"Adam, Chase, stop it now!" Mr. Davenport shouted. Neither of us listened. I got to my feet, only to be pushed back onto the ground by another gust of wind.

"You fixed his pressurized lung capacity?" Mr. Davenport demanded. I heard Douglas chuckle.

"Pretty cool, huh?"

Spinning my laser bo, I charged at Adam, slamming the staff against his arm as he blocked it.

"Will you two stop?" Mr. Davenport demanded again. I continued sending blow after blow at Adam, too furious to listen. Adam hit me to the ground and as I got up, he grabbed one of the chairs and threw it at me .I ducked, dodging it with ease, and it flew over my head at Mr. Davenport and Douglas.

"I thought you said everything was back to normal!" Mr. Davenport shouted, presumably at Douglas. I swung my laser bo at Adam, only for it to be blocked once more.

"It is! Adam has the upper hand and balance is restored." Douglas replied. "It's called parenting, Donny. Feel free to take notes."

Another gust of Adam's breath sent me back to the ground. With my free hand, I reached for the nearest object (Calla's still slightly damp textbook) and threw it at him. It missed him by half an inch and nearly hit the two adults in the room.

As Adam and I continued to fight using our new abilities, the argument between Douglas and Mr. Davenport seemed to be heating up.

Calla's POV

The second I entered the Davenport's house, I heard the sounds of large crashes coming from beneath me.

"What happened to no killing each other while I was gone?" I muttered to myself. I started towards the lab, intending on calling them all idiots until they stopped. Suddenly, what felt like another person bumped into me, knocking me to the ground. The thing was, I was the only one in the room.

I sat on the ground, looking around. Yep, the only living things in the room were me and Glitch, who was currently sitting on the couch. "Okay, that was strange."

Then I heard a chuckle. I looked around again, jumping to my feet. "What's going on?"

The chuckling grew louder, causing Glitch to get up. He hopped off the couch and started sniffing the ground in front of me. Then he sat down and raised his head to the sky, rubbing it against nothing. "Okay, is there a ghost in the room or something?"

"Nope." I started at the sound of Bree's voice. I spun around, trying to find her, but saw nothing.

"Bree?" I called. The laugh came again, coming from right above Glitch's head.

"Right in front of you." Her voice replied, although I still couldn't see anything. I frowned.

"Sure you are." I agreed sarcastically. "I didn't know you could throw your voice, Bree."

"I'm not. Douglas turned me invisible using your USB with those bionic abilities you designed." She explained. I nodded, finally getting it.

"Right in front of me, right? Are you next to Glitch?" I asked. She was silent. "Bree?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot that you can't see me nod. Yes, I'm right here." She told me. I nodded.

"Okay, cool. You realize how easy it's going to be now for you to sneak into Jaden's room when my mom's home?" I asked. I heard her laugh.

"That's the plan." She agreed. I smirked.

"So, do I even want to know what's going on downstairs?"

"Probably not." She replied. I nodded thoughtfully.

"Okay then. Let's go." I headed down to the lab, assuming that Bree was following me. What I found down there was a disaster. Chairs and other objects were scattered around, presumably having been thrown. Adam and Chase were pretty much trying to murder one another, and Mr. Davenport and Douglas were shouting at each other furiously. I stayed in the hall, close enough to see and listen, but out of their line of vision.

"I ask you to make things better and you make things worse, as usual!" Mr. Davenport accused. Douglas looked offended.

"Yeah, yeah. Just like when we were kids. Everything is always my fault! 'He didn't do this dishes.' 'He left my bike out!' 'He reanimated my dead gerbil and now it's a monster!'"

"Well, it was!" Mr. Davenport protested. "You should have let Herman rest in peace!"

"Man, I've got to stop walking into these conversations." I commented, glancing at where I thought Bree was. Both Douglas and Mr. Davenport ducked as a gust of wind was shot at them. Huh. Douglas must have fixed Adam's pressurized lung capacity. Cool.

"All you did was make the situation more dangerous!" Mr. Davenport shouted over the sound of the fighting. He picked up the destabilizer from my desk. I'd been working on it earlier, trying to improve on its basic functions. "You're like a destabilizer when it touches plastic."

Douglas smirked. "I think you mean metal." He corrected, taking the destabilizer from his brother. Mr. Davenport smirked as well.

"This isn't going to end well." Bree's voice came from right by my ear. I shook my head.

"Nope, not at all." I agreed as I watched Mr. Davenport pick up a piece of metal.

"You know what, I think you're right." He said to Douglas, touching both pieces of metal. The connection sent Douglas flying across the room.

Both Adam and Chase watched as he crashed into the wall, their own fight forgotten. "Wow, that was harsh." Chase commented, deactivating his laser bo staff. Both boys got out of their fighting stances and looked at Mr. Davenport.

"Yeah, it's ugly when brothers fight, isn't it?" Mr. Davenport questioned.

"Yeah, but with you guys it's also dangerous because you're super old and you can die." Adam replied, Chase nodding in agreement. I groaned loudly and walked out from the hall.

"Guys, we've discussed this. Youth does not equal invulnerability." I told them. They seriously needed to learn that lesson, else someone was really going to get hurt one of these days.

"How long have you been standing there?" Douglas questioned, getting up. I shrugged.

"Since Herman the zombie gerbil." I replied. I looked at them. "Speaking of which, do you think you can do that again? Because there's this hamster named Mikey that Jaden thinks 'ran away'…"

"We'll discuss why that's a bad idea later." Mr. Davenport told me before turning back to Adam and Chase. "Look, I know you two are polar opposites, but you're brothers. And you have to start learning to respect each other."

Chase scoffed. "You mean like you two do?" he questioned. That stumped Mr. Davenport.

"Well Douglas and I…you know…that…that's different!" He tried to protest. We all looked at them, waiting for a better explanation. "Look, we're adults and we've earned the right to act like children."

"Not really." I muttered, but was ignored.

"This behaviour has got to stop." Mr. Davenport told them. Adam and Chase sighed.

"Okay." "We've got it." They submitted.

"Good one, Donny." Douglas said before trying to escape the lab. Mr. Davenport stopped him before he could.

"Oh no you don't! You're not off the hook!" He said. "You can't just go around handing out bionic abilities."

"But that's why they like me more than you!" Douglas argued. Mr. Davenport glanced at the three of us, and we shook our heads. However, the second his back was turn, we all nodded at Douglas so he knew how we really felt. He subtly gave us all a thumbs up.

"Look, I know you're tying to help," Mr. Davenport sighed, "but you have to let me take the lead when it comes to the kids."

Douglas sighed. "Okay, fine. I'm sorry."

Mr. Davenport nodded. "From now on, any major decisions have to go by me first."

"Absolutely…" Douglas agreed, a guilty smile on his face. "…but we're going to have to start that tomorrow because I kinda made Bree invisible."

"What?" Everyone, aside from Douglas and I, exclaimed.

"It's true." Bree's voice came from somewhere to my right. "I've been standing here as long as Calla."

Everyone looked around, trying to find her. Adam jumped forward and grabbed the air. "I got her! I got…" He exclaimed, then frowned. "Nope, that's air. That was air."

He continued to try and find her. Suddenly, the air shimmered next to me and Bree slowly became visible. "I can't believe you designed this, Calla." She grinned. I smiled back.

"Cool, huh?" I smiled. She nodded and disappeared again. Well, if anything, these new abilities would make life around here a little more interesting.


	23. Haunting of the Living Virus

Leo's POV

"This party is awesome!" I exclaimed, looking around. It was the annual Halloween Dance at the school, and this year they'd really gone all out. We had strobe lights, smoke machines, creep music, even rubber eyeballs in the punch. Everything that was needed to make tonight a success. And best of all, it was a costume party.

"Yeah, I can't believe our school managed to put all this on. I figured Perry would use all the party funds to buy herself a new cat or something." Bree agreed. She glanced at me. "By the way, nice costume."

I smirked. I'd spent hours looking for the perfect costume. I was dressed as a headless man, complete with a plate for my 'severed' head. Bree was currently dressed as a female Flash, including a red masquerade mask. And to add to her fun, she'd bought a little red Superman cape for Glitch. The dog seemed to like it a lot, growling at anyone who tried to remove it.

As for Adam, he was dressed in blue pants, a red cape and a blue muscle shirt, the word DUFF written on it in big black letters. Apparently, he'd really taken a liking to Duffman from the Simpsons, so much that he was actually carrying around cans of Duff beer (they were really root beer cans with a special wrapper on them, but I wasn't sure if he knew that or not).

Chase, on the other hand, had gone a different route with his costume. We'd tried to convince him to go as a ghost or a sparkly vampire, but he turned those options down in favour of being Julius Caesar. So he was currently wearing a white and red toga with a weird golden laurel crown, sandals, and a plastic sword.

"I wonder what the other's are wearing." Adam thought aloud. We'd all agreed to keep our costumes a surprise (Bree's idea) so we had no idea what Janelle, Jaden, or Calla were going to show up in.

"Well, I might have an idea." Bree offered. "Calla said that she went to the costume store before school and I saw what I think was a plastic shield in her locker."

I gave her a look. "Are you sure it was a shield? Knowing Calla, it was more likely a sword or anything else that could violently kill someone." I joked.

"Very funny, Dooley." I heard from behind me. We all turned around to see Jaden and Calla standing there, the latter looking vaguely annoyed with me.

Jaden's costume was pretty obvious, even without the massive hammer in his right hand. He was dressed as Thor, his favourite Avenger, complete with armour. Calla, on the other hand, was dressed completely different. She was wearing a black sleeveless dress with a golden belt, obviously designed to look like battle armour, with black and gold wrist cuffs and a black headband. She held a golden shield in one hand, a glass of punch in the other.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Adam asked, looking at her. Calla smirked.

"Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom and battle strategy." She replied. I smirked.

"Smart and violent. That is so you, Calla." I shook my head, chuckling. She laughed, then twirled around to show off her outfit.

"What do you think, Chase?" She asked. He grinned.

"You look hot." He admitted. She smirked, then glanced at me.

"Have you seen Janelle yet?" She asked. I shook my head.

"Nope, but I have seen your friend Rebeccka. She looks like zombie version of Little Red Riding Hood." I told her. She laughed.

"Hey, she told me that it was either that, or the zombie My Little Pony outfit." She mentioned. "I don't know why, but the idea of eating someone's brain sounds appealing to her."

"You have the strangest friends." Caleb told her, coming up behind us with Janelle in tow.

Caleb was dressed in a green shirt, with a yellow hat and a toy bow and arrow slung over his shoulder. I think he was Robin Hood, but it could have been Green Arrow. Superheroes seemed to be the 'in' thing this year.

Janelle was dressed in a red velvet tailcoat, a light blue flowered shirt, a pink plaid skirt, a yellow bow tie and a mini red top hat fixed so that it sat crooked on her head. There was a piece of green paper sticking out of the hat's brim and a silver watch in her hands. I studied her for a moment. "Don't tell me… you're… um…" I trailed off, still trying to guess. She gave me a look.

"I'm a female Mad Hatter, Leo!" She exclaimed, gesturing at her outfit. I nodded.

"Right, sorry." I apologized. "You look great."

"Right." Janelle rolled her eyes at me. She looked at Bree and Calla. "Hey, have you guys seen Skylar's Elsa costume?"

Calla made a face at her arch-nemesis' name (seriously, who has arch-nemesises?) while Bree shook her head. "No, but have you seen Jessica's Tinkerbelle outfit? I have to know where she got it!"

"Oh my god, they're gossiping." Adam complained. Chase nodded.

"I know, it's disgusting." He agreed. The girls stopped talking and sent them looks.

"Boys." Calla shook her head at us. She looked around. "Hey, where's Kieran?"

"He couldn't make it. Said he had a migraine." Caleb replied. "It's too bad really. This is going to be so much fun."

"Better than last year's Halloween, that's for sure." Adam agreed. Caleb frowned.

"Wait, what happened last year?" He asked. Everyone looked at him for a moment, confused, before it dawned on us.

"Right, you were gone on your family vacation." Calla realized. She clasped her hands together. "Okay, so it all started when Trent stole Leo's clothing…"

FLASHBACK BEGINS

Bree's POV

"I can't wait until the Homecoming!" I exclaimed as we all stopped at Calla's locker before lunch. She nodded my agreement.

"Yeah, it's going to be so much fun!" She agreed before looking at Adam and Chase. "What about you guys? You excited?"

"Well, I am taking the most beautiful girl in school to homecoming, so yeah, I am." Chase agreed. Calla smiled at him. I turned to Adam, curious if he was going to ask Jessica to come with him, but was interrupted before I could ask.

"Psst!" We stopped talking and looked towards the gym doors, where the sound had come from. Leo's head popped out from behind it. "Hey guys, have you ever had that nightmare where you're standing in the middle of the school in nothing but your birthday suit?" We all frowned and looked at him. What was he going on about?

"Well, it's happening to me!" Leo shouted, stepping out from behind the door to reveal that he was naked, except for a towel he had wrapped tightly around him. We all looked at him, waiting for an explanation. I noticed Calla's hand twitch towards her phone, but she never took it out. I guess that although this would be the perfect blackmail opportunity, she just didn't have it in her to be that mean.

"Someone stole my clothes while I was in the shower!" Leo cried, adjusting his grip on his towel. Meanwhile, the rest of the school laughed, pointing at the smaller boy.

"Well, you know, when I lose something, I find it helps to ask yourself where's the last place you saw it?" Adam suggested. Leo gave him a look.

"On my body." He growled. Adam nodded.

"And you definitely checked there?" he confirmed. Leo glared at him.

"That is so mean. Who would do that to you?" I questioned. Just then, Trent walked in from the gym, wearing clothes that were definitely too small to be his.

"AY-OH!" He called, in his usual greeting. We all nodded.

"Ah." We understood now who the culprit was.

"Trent?" Leo demanded. "You stole my clothes?"

"Well, yeah. How else am I supposed to play Attack of the Giant Trent?" He started stomping around. "Fe-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of a wimpy one." He stepped close to Leo and sniffed him. "Get it? It's you."

Okay, that was creepy. Trent started to flew when suddenly, there was a loud ripping sound. He grinned. "Oh! Tear in aisle two!" He glanced at Leo. "Looks like your mommy's going to have to buy you more clothes at the Not Big and the Not Tall store. Ha-ha!"

He ran off, laughing and high-fiving his cronies. "Why does Trent always pick on me more than anyone else?" I demanded. Chase shrugged.

"Well, I outsmart him. I've studied his schedule and routine to ensure we're never alone together." He told me. "I even know when he's going to take a…"

"BATHROOM BREAK!" Trent announced, shouting at the top of his lungs. He ran past us, heading for the washrooms. Chase smirked.

"Right on time." He commented. Everyone stared at him.

"Son, you need a hobby." I suggested. Leo narrowed his eyes.

"I'm sick of this! I'm going to go offer Trent a choice; stop picking on me or suffer the consequences."

"This isn't going to end well." I commented as Leo walked in the same direction that Trent had. Calla shrugged.

"Well, not really. I mean, what else does Leo have to lose?" She questioned. Two seconds later, there was a yelp and Trent came out carrying Leo's towel.

"Camera phones out people! We've got a runner!" He called. People started running after Leo as he sped towards the nearest empty room. Calla watched them go.

"And I stand corrected." She declared, pulling out her phone. Chase frowned.

"What are you doing?" He asked. She didn't look up as she typed a quick message.

"Jaden's in the lost and found looking for his backpack. He might as well grab something for Leo on his way out."

I nodded. "Good idea."

After a minute, my phone buzzed. I checked it and smirked when I saw who the text was from.

From: Leo

I'm hiding in the janitor's closet. Can someone please bring me some clothes?

PS. Tell Calla that if she mocks me for this, I won't give her back her wallet.

I frowned, then looked at the brunet. "Why does Leo have your wallet?"

She frowned. "Leo doesn't have…" She checked her pockets, her expression turning from confusion to disbelief to annoyance. "Dooley stole my wallet?!"

"Apparently." I smiled as Jaden walked up to us, a wad of clothing tucked under one arm and a backpack in his other hand. He looked at Calla. "So, baby sister, why is Leo naked and in need of clothing?"

There was no trace of laughter or amusement in his voice, just curiosity. So much different from his sister, who was smirking.

"Oh you know, Trent stole his clothes. Again. But this time he took the towel too." She explained. Jaden sighed and looked around.

"So, where is the little man, anyway?" He asked curiously. I pointed towards the janitor's closet. Jaden nodded and walked over.

He knocked on the door. "Leo, unlock the door. I grabbed some stuff for you."

The door opened a crack and Leo's hand shot out. Chuckling, Jaden handed him the clothing. Leo pulled it them in. A couple of seconds later, his head popped out. He glared at Jaden.

"Seriously, man?" He questioned. Jaden shrugged, a guilty look on his face.

"Sorry, it was either that, or a mini skirt." He apologised. Leo considered his options for a moment, then shut the door. Chase frowned.

"What did you give him?" He asked, confused. Jaden smirked.

"Oh, you'll see." He assured us. After a minute, Leo walked out of the janitor's closet wearing… one of Principal Perry's pantsuits.

"Oh god." Calla muttered, covering her smirk with one hand.

"It's…" I tried to think of something good to say here. It was difficult.

"Better than nothing?" Jaden offered, trying to be helpful. Leo glared at him, but didn't get the chance to say anything before Trent walked over, pulled the pantsuit over Leo's head and walked away.

"Jacket-head!" He called over his shoulder. We all watched him in annoyance.

"Alright, that's it. It's time Trent and I had a talk." Adam decided, clenching his fists. "Now he's disrespecting my brother and casual business attire."

I looked at Jaden. "Couldn't you get him to stop?" I questioned. He bit his lip and shook his head.

"Sorry, Bree. A, Trent doesn't listen to me. B, he's captain of the team this year and football is pretty much my ride into college."

"It's true." Calla agreed. "I mean, how else is he going to get into college? Good grades?" She laughed. Jaden rolled his eyes and shoved her away from him.

"Mom said to stop saying stuff like that." He reminded her. She nodded, still smirking.

"Yes, but Mom's not here, is she?" She challenged.

Jaden was about to object, but stopped when Principal Perry walked over.

"Looking good, Dooley!" She grinned. Jaden looked at her.

"Principal Perry? Can I talk to you about-"

"Not now, Parker!" She snapped, walking to the center of the hall. "Listen up, Dandruff Donkeys! Tomorrow is the Homecoming Dance and if you don't have a date now, keep asking. I love watching rejection!"

I glanced at everyone else in the group. Chase and Calla had entwined hands and Adam was making his 'selfie face' at Jessica. Apparently, I was the only one who wouldn't have a date.

I kept hoping that Jaden would ask me, but he seemed completely oblivious to how I felt. I mean, we flirted a lot when no one else was around, but that was pretty much it. Why couldn't guys read our minds? It would make things so much easier!

"How many dances have you been too?" Calla asked Perry.

"We're not going there, stick-pop!" She snapped. Calla smirked, but stayed silent. "Tomorrow night is also the 100th year anniversary of the demise of Jasper the Janitor! Flo, Brandi, a little mood lighting."

Brandi hit the lights, making the room go dark, and Flo handed Principal Perry a flashlight. She lit up her face, trying to be scary. "It was a dark, gloomy night at Mission Creek High, when a group of kids decided to prank old Jasper!"

"What were a bunch of kids doing at school at night?" Leo questioned.

"Irrelevant!" Perry snapped before continuing. "They decided to scare him when he was cleaning the pencil sharpener. His beard got caught and all they found were Jasper shavings with no one to sweep them up."

"What about the janitor?" Adam asked. Then a look of realization crossed his face. "Oh. Never mind guys, I got there."

"Legend has it," Perry continued as if she had never been interrupted, "that every ten years Jasper's ghost returns to seek revenge on the students!"

"Eek!" Trent squealed (yes, he actually squealed!). Everyone one of his friends looked at him. "I mean…ah, good story."

"Whenever he returns, there's always one kid who mysteriously moves away never to be heard from again!" Perry exclaimed. There was a moment of silence, then she hit Brandi in the arm. "Lights, lights!" She hissed.

The lights flickered on and Perry handed the flashlight back to Flo. "Any who, I'm going on a little vacay. Me and Mr. Whiskers are going to zip line across the Grand Canyon." She announced. "Until then, I leave you under the watchful eye of Mrs. Thistle."

Principal Perry gestured at the elderly teacher, a woman who should have retired ages ago. "Thistle!" Perry shouted when the old woman didn't respond.

"Bingo!" Mrs. Thistle shouted, looking around. We all grinned knowing that we could get around with anything we wanted with her in charge.

"See you in two weeks!" Perry called as she made her way out the door. "Well…whoever's left."

She laughed eerily before leaving. Jaden looked at us. "I'll be right back. I've got to talk to Thistle about something."

"See you!" I called after him. Meanwhile, Chase was criticising Perry's story.

"Are we really supposed to believe that the school is haunted?" He demanded.

"Yeah, Jasper's probably just misunderstood." Adam agreed. "The ghost in my cartoons is very friendly."

"Hey, Jaden's sister!" We turned to see Trent looking at us. "Get over here!"

"This should be interesting." Calla muttered before walking over to Trent. "What's the prob, Bob?"

"You know a lot." He began. She nodded.

"Yes, I do. Thank you for noticing." She replied.

"So, this school isn't really haunted is it?" He asked, sounding somewhat nervous. "I'm not asking for me. I'm asking for my friend…Brent."

Calla glanced at us, smirking, then back at Trent. "I don't know. I guess we'll just have to wait and see." She told him. He frowned.

"Well you're useless." He commented, pushing her away. She shrugged, then walked over to us. She was grinning like a fool. "Did you guys hear that?" She asked. Leo nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! Trent's afraid of ghosts!" He exclaimed gleefully. He turned towards us. "We can use your bionics to create one and scare him. Then he'll be humiliated and he won't do it to me anymore."

"Leo, do you really think that anyone's going to believe that this school is haunted just because I do this?" Chase raised one hand and used his telekinesis to drag a broom across the school. The several students who saw it ran off screaming. "Alright! Let's make some ghosts!"

"Yes!" Leo grinned. He looked at Calla and I. "Are you two going to help?"

"Nah, I was going to see if Thistle will let me decorate the gym for Homecoming." I told him. Calla shrugged.

"Ghosts are lame. Zombies are cooler. Zombie chauffeurs are even cooler. Call me when you're making real zombie chauffeurs." She told us. Chase gave her a look. "Sorry guys, but I've got a ton of stuff to do before the dance tomorrow night. Plus, my cousin Faith asked for some help with some guy thing. Apparently, she likes this idiot and wants to impress him. Jerry or Jeremy or something like that."

"Okay, you go play matchmaker." Leo sighed. "Meanwhile, let's figure out our plan to scare the pants off of Trent."

Xxx

"Sorry Bree, but I've got to cut out study session short." Jaden announced suddenly, standing up. He'd come over to my house after school to get some extra help in physics (clearly science was Calla's forte, not his). I frowned and looked at him. "I've got stuff to do."

"What sort of stuff?" I asked, curious. He grinned.

"Mrs. Thistle said I could decorate the gym for homecoming to get some extra volunteer hours." He explained. I looked at him, a little upset.

"You? But she said I could." I objected. He frowned.

"But I always decorate for homecoming. It's how I got all my volunteer hours." He objected. I shrugged.

"Mrs. Thistle didn't remember that." I replied. He looked slightly offended, so I quickly continued. "But to be fair, she also thinks it 1942."

Jaden considered that. "Okay, why don't I help you then? You can take charge and do your own thing and I can still earn my hours."

I beamed. That was the best idea I'd heard all day. "Sure. The theme is the American Frontier, so I'm thinking a wild west thing."

Jaden grinned, his eyes lighting up. "Wild west, I love it! I see wagon wheels – NO! Barrels! Lots of barrels!"

I looked at him to see if he was serious and he was. "…Okay." I agreed for the sake of agreeing. I held the door open as he walked out.

"Who's taking the lead again?" I reminded him. He nodded.

"Fair enough. I'll back off and let you do your thing." He agreed. "But I'll leave you with this: barrels."

He walked out without another word. I shook my head and closed the door. "Good thing he's cute."

Leo's POV

I checked my watch again, growing impatient. "I thought you said Trent was coming." I said, looking at Chase. He checked his own watch.

"He should be." He agreed, frowning. "His morning bathroom break was due five minutes ago."

Suddenly, we saw Trent walking in at a brisk pace. "Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go." He muttered under his breath. Chase and I both hid where Trent couldn't see us, then I watched as Chase activated his telekinesis. He used it to open and close one of the lockers, startling Trent.

"Who's there?" He demanded, looking around. "You don't know who you're messing with! I'm seven years older than everyone else here!"

He started back towards the washroom, but froze when the lights started flickering (courtesy of me) and the locker doors started opening and closing of their own accord (well, Chase's, but he didn't need to know that). A wall of lockers started moving towards Trent, terrifying him to the very core. I'd have to thank Adam for his help later, I thought to myself.

"No, please, no!" Trent sobbed, backing up from the lockers. He turned around to flee, only to come face to face with Mrs. Thistle. They both screamed and Trent ran out of the building. Mrs. Thistle ran into an empty classroom as Chase and I climbed out from our hiding spots. Adam walked out from behind the wall of lockers he'd moved and grinned.

"That was incredible!" I exclaimed, grinning.

"Amazing! It worked perfectly!" Chase agreed.

"Whoo-hoo!" Adam howled. Suddenly, he froze. "Be right back."

He started off in the other direction, walking the same way Trent had. "Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go."

Bree's POV

When I walked into the gym, I was surprised to see that Jaden had already decorated. Not only that, he'd done the complete opposite of what I'd expected.

"Jaden?" I called, staring at the gym. It was set up astronaut themed! Seriously, not even Adam could get astronauts and cowboys mixed up! "What on earth…"

"Actually, it's Mars." Jaden corrected, grinning. He frowned. "Is the red not red enough?"

"What is all of this?" I demanded, walking up to him. He smiled.

"I thought I'd do you a favour and handle all of the decorations." He explained. "You are welcome."

Clearly, he did not notice the look on my face. "But the theme is supposed to be the American Frontier!" I exclaimed.

"Technically, the new frontier is space!" He replied, sweeping his arm out dramatically. He grinned at me. "What do you think?"

"I hate it!" I replied, sweeping my arm out like he did. He frowned. "I spent all night shopping for a wild west theme. Do you know how hard it is to find a place that sells ten gallon hats and spurs?"

That just confused the older boy even more. "It can't be that hard; there's a place down the street called Cowboys R Us."

Well, NOW he tells me! "Look, Bree." Jaden sighed. "I knew you were in over your head and inspiration struck. So I went with it. Again, you are welcome."

He grinned, adjusted one of the planets on top of a fake rocket, then walked out. I looked around the room, trying to think of a solution.

"Stupid Jaden!" I muttered, kicking over one of his plastic aliens. Then, as Jaden would put it, inspiration struck. I sped around the room, dismantling his space decorations.

"And now you are welcome." I commented to myself before speeding off to get the correct decorations.

Leo's POV

I watched in amusement as Trent stared fearfully at his locker. "Check it out." I said to Adam and Chase. "He's afraid to open his own locker."

"So am I." Adam commented, shuddering. "My dirty gym clothes have been in there for a month."

Trent reached towards his locker, then pulled his hand back, clearly uncertain if it was a good or bad idea. I smirked.

"Hey, watch this." I walked forward a step and dropped my books on the ground. The second they landed with a thud, Trent jumped like a startled kitten.

"No! Why are you coming after me, ghost?" He demanded. "Is it because I'm a bully? I can change! I'm nice to my rabbit."

Almost everyone in the room was laughing. Almost.

"Alright Leo, I think Trent has had enough." Chase told me. "We've been torturing him all day."

"One day. He's been bullying me for years!" I reminded him. "So cancel your Christmas plans, boys. We're working."

Chase gave me a look. "Look at him Leo."

I had to admit, the sight of Trent curled up in a ball in the corner of the hall was a bit unsettling. "We've scared him so badly, he's a shell of a man." Chase continued. I sighed. Chase was not going to let me hear the end of this, ever.

"Fine!" I groaned, walking over to Trent. I knelt down so that we were eye-level, then tapped on his shoulder.

"I'm not in a feetle position, you are!" He said defensively, looking at me over his shoulder. I sighed. I was probably signing my death certificate right now.

"Look Trent, the lockers moving, the lights flickering, that wasn't a ghost, it was us messing with you." I confessed. Trent didn't seem to buy it though.

"I know what I saw. No way that was you." He snapped. But even as he did so, he began to calm down a bit.

"Trent, he's telling the truth." Chase agreed with me. "Ghosts aren't real."

"Right. And neither are unicorns, leprechauns, or those grapes on top of the deli counter." Adam added. "Trust me on that."

Trent nodded, looking past us. "Oh yeah? Well if ghosts aren't real, why is that doing that?"

We followed his gaze to see the bench in the lobby moving around the floor, completely on its own. And the last time I checked, that bench was cemented into the floor so it couldn't move. "I…do not know." Chase replied, sounding confused.

"GHOST!" Trent screamed, running out of the room. I looked at Chase, confused.

"I thought you said he had enough?" I questioned.

"That wasn't me!" He objected. For once, he had no explanation for what was going on.

"Then what was it?" Adam asked, confused. Suddenly, a sound above us made me look up. What happened next scared the crap out of me. No seriously, I think I need a new pair of pants.

Blood started pouring out of my locker. The garbage cans exploded. And the lights began to flicker.

"It's Jasper!" I screamed, jumping into my oldest brother's arms for protection. I turned to glare at Chase a second later and saw that even he was about to panic.

"You said there was no such thing as ghosts! All your smart guy credibility is shot!" I exclaimed, hopping out of Adam's arms. "Shot!"

"There has to be some other explanation!" Chase objected. "Like why the bench moved. It's an old school. Maybe the building settled."

I didn't believe him though. "Or maybe the ghost is targeting us!" I growled.

Chase rolled his eyes. "It's not targeting us."

"Uh, guys?" Adam said suddenly, staring at the something above our heads. We followed his gaze to the wall and paled at what we saw. There were large, crimson names on the wall.

ADAM, CHASE, LEO.

"That could be any Adam, Chase, and Leo." Chase tried to keep us calm. Then, as if an invisible hand was writing in blood, more words appeared.

I MEAN YOU

"Okay, that's us." Chase finally submitted, his voice shaking slightly. "Run!"

I took his advice and we bolted out of the school, not looking back to see if Adam was behind us or not.

Bree's POV

I was just putting the finishing touches on the DINGO CORRAL poster when I heard the gym door open. I smiled, not needing to look up to see who had entered.

"Bree?" Jaden's questioning voice called. I looked up and grinned.

"Howdy partner." I greeted before going back to the poster.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Oh. Someone once told me that went inspiration strikes, you gotta go with it. So I went with it." I informed him. He walked over, looking very displeased.

"This is not my conceptualization. This is an unravelling of particularity." This-" I rolled my eyes and cut him off.

"Just because Calla got you a Word-Of-The-Day calendar for your birthday does not mean you actually have to use the words in there." I pointed out.

"I want my space stuff back!" He exclaimed. I nodded.

"Yeah, sure." I pointed at the back of the gym where all the stuff had been pushed. "It's all over there. By the barrels."

Then I went back to my work on the poster. I needed to finish painting it for tonight. "You know what Bree? I finally know what this is missing." Jaden's tone of voice changed. He gestured at the red paint can. "May I?"

Not waiting for permission, he dipped a paint brush into it, stepped back several steps, and slapped one of the cowboy mannequins with the paint. "Better." He smiled. I stared at him for a moment, then narrowed my eyes.

"Okay. Oh, and since we're on the topic," I smiled back, "I don't think Mars is red enough."

I grabbed a second paint brush, dipped them both in the pain, then flung said paint at his Mars poster. He stared, gaping in shock, while I smiled back at him.

"Is that the best you've got?" He challenged. I clenched my fists.

"Hardly." I replied before dragging my paintbrush down his face, colouring his forehead, cheeks and nose red.

"Hey remember when I said I wanted to paint you for art class?" Jaden asked, using his paint brush to get my cheeks, shirt, and tip of my hat covered in the red paint. I bit my lip. Maybe I was having a little too much fun with this. So what? He seemed to be enjoying it too.

We both attacked each other then, using our paintbrushes to paint every part of each other that we could. By time the paintbrushes were dry, our clothing had been ruined. But I was not going to let him have the last word.

I reached for the paint can and dumped it on his head, getting paint in his 'precious' hair. "Okay…Bree…" Jaden checked the damage done to his handsome locks of brown, "I'm getting the sense you don't want my help here."

Leo's POV

"So you guys really think that Jasper the ghost is out to get you?" Calla questioned in amusement, looking between the three of us. We were all back at the lab, trying to figure out a plan.

"I have proof!" I exclaimed, pointing at my computer screen. "Check it out."

Calla leaned over my shoulder to read what my screen said. "The tragedy happened the night of the homecoming dance. Jasper Fargus…who has Fargus as a last name? Seriously, that's just…that's just horrible."

"Look, there's a picture." I brought up a picture a tall man with a very long beard.

"It's hideous! Gruesome!" Adam exclaimed, grimacing at the picture. We all looked at him.

"Adam, that's before the accident." Calla assured him. He nodded.

"I know. I just really hate beards." He commented. Calla shrugged.

"I can't argue with that." She glanced at Chase. "Don't grow one."

"Never planned on it." He promised her before looking at us. "I bet Jasper's planning something big for the dance."

"Maybe it's a big ghost flash mob!" Adam gasped excitedly. Calla nodded enthusiastically.

"Or maybe ghosts aren't real!" She exclaimed. Chase looked at her.

"I thought the same thing until I saw my name written on the wall in blood." He pointed out. She rolled her eyes.

"It was probably ketchup. Did you ever think that maybe Trent was trying to get you guys back for messing with him?" She suggested. We chose to ignore her.

"Perry said he would return for his revenge." Chase looked at Adam and I. "And he's coming after us. We have to stop him."

"Really?" I questioned. "Because between standing in a corner and avoiding girls, I have a pretty full night planned."

"Leo, there will be plenty of other dances for you to be alone and awkward at!" Chase snapped. I looked at Calla.

"You know, he wouldn't say that if he was still alone and awkward. This is your fault." He accused. She rolled her eyes.

"Come on guys, how cool would it be if we proved that ghosts actually exist?" Chase exclaimed. "This can be our only chance to capture him!"

"Wait, wait, capture him?" I repeated, getting up from my seat. "What do you want to keep him as a pet?"

"Well, I'll play with him and help feed him, but I'm not bagging his business." Adam replied. Calla gave him a look, then looked at Chase and I.

"You guys do realize how crazy this is, right?" She demanded. Once again, we ignored her.

"Paranormal researchers say that apparitions present themselves in electromagnetic fields. So, I have EMF detectors, night vision goggles and special headphones that detect voice phenomenon!"

Calla stared at him, trying to decide if her boyfriend had lost his mind, while Adam and I grinned. "What can I play with?" Adam demanded, looking over the items.

"Hey guys, the dance starts in twenty minutes. Gear up!" Chase instructed. Calla looked at him.

"Chase, it's homecoming. You said we'd go together." She objected. Chase gave her a pleading look.

"This could be a scientific breakthrough!" He told her. She sighed.

"I can't believe you're doing this." She muttered before walking away. Chase looked at us.

"Okay, let's try and finish this before the dance ends." He decided. I nodded.

"Yeah, your relationship may depend on it." I agreed. I looked at one of the things on the table. "Hey, what's this?"

"They're ion blasters that I rigged to triple the power. It should momentarily paralyse the spirit." He replied. I grinned.

"That ghost is going down! Or up, depending on what it believes." I added. Chase frowned.

"Oh man. I forgot to build a containment device." He said. Adam grabbed a handheld vacuum off the table.

"What about this?" He suggested. I nodded.

"Oh Adam, if the ghost is hiding between two couch cushions, we got him." I told him. He grinned, not noticing my tone of voice.

Bree's POV

The homecoming dance was going great. Everyone was enjoying themselves, even me. But then, Jaden had to come over

"Bree!" He called, spotting me by the desert table. I jumped back, grabbing a candy apple and pointing it at him threateningly. He chuckled at the sight of it.

"The last time someone threatened me with a candy apple was Calla and she was seven. I tried to take a lollipop from her candy bag." He reminisced. I narrowed my eyes at him.

'What do you want?" I demanded. He sighed.

"I'm sorry I got carried away. But you know me – do act now, ask questions later." He apologized, looking around. "This looks really awesome."

I sighed. Staying mad at him was impossible. "Well I couldn't have done it without you…letting me do it without you."

Suddenly, the doors swung open and three idiots in blue jumpsuits jumped in. Correction, three idiots in jumpsuits and Calla jumped in.

"Jaden! Bree!" Chase called. We both exchanged looks, then walked over.

"Have you seen any apparitions? Paranormal beings? Phantasms?" He demanded. Jaden looked confused.

"Did Calla get you a Word-Of-The-Day calendar too?" He asked. Chase rolled his eyes.

"Ghosts? Have you seen any ghosts?" He demanded.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned. "There's no such thing as ghosts."

"Thank you!" Calla exclaimed. "I've been trying to tell them that all night."

"Ghosts exist." Adam insisted. "And I hope Jasper gets here soon – the men's room is out of toilet paper."

"Let's go check the hallway." Chase suggested. He, Adam, and Leo began to walk out, only for Trent to coming running into the gym.

"Help!" He cried. "You guys have got to hide me from the ghost!"

"Don't worry, Trent. We'll protect you." Leo promised. Trent looked surprised.

"Thanks." He said, a little stunned that Leo would agree to something like that. I think we all were.

"Only if you promise never to mess with me again." Leo added. Trent considered it.

"I can give you every other Tuesday off." He bargained. Leo shook his hand.

"Pleasure doing business." He agreed. I looked at Calla.

"We should all leave before they make a mess of things, shouldn't we?"

Calla nodded. "Yep."

Leo's POV

"Let's go, guys." I instructed, leading Adam and Chase into the hall. The doors closed behind us, making us jump.

"What was that?" Chase questioned. Adam frowned.

"Door closed." He replied seconds before the lights went out.

"What was that?" I asked.

"The lights went out." Adam replied. We both looked at him.

"We know." We said in unison.

"Well then stop asking!" Adam retorted.

As we looked around the dark room, Chase pulled out one of his gizmos. "My EMF detector is going crazy. Jasper must be coming." He announced. "Quick! Put on your night vision goggles!"

We all put on the goggles. Within a moment of activating his, Adam shouted. "I see the ghost!"

We all froze. "He's really nerdy and he has stupid spiky hair!"

Chase looked at him, then punched him in the shoulder. "Ow!" Adam complained.

"Shut it!" Chase snapped. "I'm listening for voice phenomena."

He put the headphones to his ears. Suddenly, I heard a sound. It was the sound of footsteps. But the problem was – Adam, Chase and I weren't moving.

"Whose footsteps are those?" I questioned, feeling a chill go down my back.

"Enough games, Jasper!" Chase ordered. "Show your face."

"Yeah!" Adam agreed. "And you better have shaved that nasty beard."

Suddenly, a weird, bright green, glowing figure appeared on the stairs. "Blasters out!" Chase instructed, but I was already fumbling for mine. We aimed our weapons at Jasper, but Adam stopped us.

"Wait!" He cried. "We should at least give Jasper a chance to explain himself. I'm telling you he's friendly."

Adam turned towards Jasper, who let out a terrifying shriek. "Okay, you're not helping. Work with me dude."

Jasper shrieked again, getting closer to us, and all our bravery evaporated. We ran towards the safety of the gym, screaming as loudly as Trent had.

But the second we got into the gym, Jasper appeared in front of us, standing next to Bree and Calla.

"Run for your lives!" I shouted, aiming my blaster. Everyone ducked as I shot at Jasper, only for my blast to go right through him.

He disappeared and reappeared all over the gym and each time we shot him, he'd just move again. Our blasts kept missing or going through him, either one, and destroyed all of the hard work done on the decorations. Oh well. It wasn't my problem.

"Brothers ruin everything!" I heard Bree complained. I glanced over my shoulder to see her and Jaden ducked behind two barrels.

"At least we have these barrels to hide behind. You are welcome." Jaden offered.

"Yo Jasper!" The sound of Chase's voice dragged me back to the ghost fight. Jasper was standing in between the two of us, no chance of escape. "Get out your mop!"

"Because it's about to get messy!" I finished as we both pulled out triggers. Our blasts went right through the ghost, hitting each other. Chase and I fell to the ground in pain, unable to control the strange twitching that accompanied it. From my awkward position on the ground, I noticed a couple of girls staring at us. "What? Have you never seen a kid in a Ghostbusters outfit twitching on the floor before?"

"Adam!" I heard Chase call. It sounded like he was in pain too. Man, that blaster really packed a punch. "Suck it up!"

"I'm being as brave as I can!" Adam defended himself.

"The ghost! Suck up the ghost!" Chase ordered. I rolled over onto my other side, with some help from Calla's friend Jessica, so I could watch as Adam charged at the ghost. However, instead of shooting a ghost, Adam shot a curtain. It fell, revealing Perry, a human Jasper, and a large machine.

"Hello." Perry greeted, looking at all of us. We all stared at her, except for Jessica and Calla, who were nice enough to help Chase and I to our feet. "Is everyone having a nice homecoming?"

"Principal Perry?" I questioned, confused. "You're the ghost?"

"I thought you were on vacation!" Chase exclaimed. Perry just smirked.

"I am. Truth be told, I can't think of a more enjoyable way to relax than scaring kids." She replied. Bree looked at her.

"How are you still employed?" She demanded. Perry just shrugged, not sure why either.

"So who's that guy?" I asked, pointing at the man standing next to Perry.

"Tom Grenier." Perry replied. "He owns a special effects house. We met when I had a small part in Star Wars."

Calla grinned. "I thought I recognized you! You were one of the fuzzy forest creatures, the Ewoks!" She exclaimed.

Perry smiled. "I'd do the Harvest dance for you, but I save that for fan conventions." She replied. "Any who, Tom's the real genius behind this. I just push the buttons and laugh."

No one else looked amused. "So wait. If you just wanted to mess with everyone, why'd you come after the three of us?" Chase asked. I noticed that although he no longer needed help standing, his arm was still wrapped around Calla's waist. Why did I have the feeling that they were going to be that couple that never, ever breaks up? We were going to be stuck with her forever!

Perry sent Adam, Chase and I looks of annoyance. "Scaring kids is my thing and you were stepping on my turf! Although, that lockers thing with Trent is genius. I still haven't figured out how you did it."

"A true magician never reveals his tricks." Chase replied, smiling charmingly.

"I pushed it!" Adam exclaimed gleefully. Suddenly, Trent walked up to us.

"Wait a minute. I am so confused." Well, that's a shocker. "Ghosts are real: yes or no?"

"No!" We all told him.

"So you guys were messing with me?" He demanded.

"Yes!" We exclaimed. He turned on Perry.

"And you were messing with me?" He questioned.

"Oh, walk it off, you big baby!" She growled before walking away. Trent turned back to us.

"Deal is off, Dooley!" He growled. "I hope you like wearing you underwear as a hate because that is where it's going to be! AY-OH! Undie-head!"

He ran out then, but not before attempting to high five a mannequin. That didn't work out so well for him.

"An underwear hat! How could I not think of that?" Adam demanded, grinning.

FLASHBACK END

Calla's POV 

"So it was all Perry?" Caleb confirmed. I nodded.

"Yep. And the boys had to clean it all up." I replied. I looked at Adam, Chase, and Leo. "Suckers."

"Okay, that does sound like a pretty sucky way to spend your Halloween." Janelle agreed. Leo shook his head.

"I could think of worse." He commented. Everyone looked at him for an explanation. "You guys remember Teddy?"

"Right." All of us, with the exception of Janelle, Jaden, and Caleb, nodded. The others looked confused.

"Who's Teddy?" Janelle asked.

"Well, you know our home security system Eddy?" Chase asked. She nodded. "Well Leo turned him evil and he tried to kill all of us."

"Seriously?" Caleb looked at us. I nodded.

"Yep. Okay, so what happened was…"

FLASHBACK BEGINS

Leo's POV

"Bring it on!" I exclaimed, glaring at the screen. Adam, Chase, and I had teamed up to make it to the last level of our brand new video game Mental Chaos. The game was so addicting, it put Flappy Bird to shame.

"Yes! We're totally going to make it to the final level!" Chase exclaimed. Then, as if on cue, we lost. We all fell back onto the couch, disappointed.

"I just wasted three hours of my life getting to that level!" I complained. "I'm never playing Mental Chaos again!"

"Me neither." Chase and Adam both agreed. We all exchanged looks, then jumped to our feet. "Again!" We shouted, restarting the game.

Of course, my mom had to come over and ruin it. "Leo, would you stop playing that game? It is nothing but a big time waster that is going to rot your brain."

Please, as if. "Oh, Mental Chaos! I've got next!" Big D called dibs, jumping onto the couch. He forced us to finish our game early and give him the video game helmets so he could play.

"Donald!" My mom scolded. "I was just telling Leo that he's been playing too much."

Big D chuckled. "You're telling me; he almost beat my high score."

Mom sighed. "I'm just saying this game is affecting him. Last week, he tried to pause me. Twice."

We all laughed at that. "That would really come in handy." Big D agreed. Mom gave him a look. "If it wasn't so wrong."

Mom raised and eyebrow and he sighed. "Okay." He turned to me. "Leo, what else are you interested in?"

"Well I keep telling you I like to work with you in the lab." I told him. He, much to my displeasure, laughed.

"And I keep telling you, I don't want to die in a fiery explosion." He replied, starting to walk away. Mom wouldn't let him though.

"Donald!" She called, leading me over to him. "This is perfect. Leo wants to be like you and… you love you."

Big D wasn't convinced. "But the lab is where you go to investigate the complex mystery that is me!"

Mom didn't back down. "Well now you can investigate the complex mystery that is Leo."

"I'm deep, baby." I added. Big D looked at Mom, trying to think of another reason to get rid of me.

"I don't need any help down in the lab though. There's barely enough work for Calla and I, there's nothing for Leo to do." He protested. At the sound of her name, Calla came walking down the stairs, Bree following close behind.

"This is my night off, remember Mr. Davenport?" She called. "Leo can do whatever work I have left."

"Thank you, Calla." Big D growled sarcastically. He looked back at Mom. "He's going to touch all my stuff!"

"Donald." She gave him a pleading look. He sighed.

"Fine. He can be my temporary lab assistant." He said through clenched teeth. I grinned.

"I prefer scientific liaison." I corrected. He looked at me.

"How about Vice President of stop-talking-before-you-blow-it?" He suggested. I nodded.

"Lab assistant it is." I agreed before heading down to the lab.

Calla's POV

"Ten bucks says there's going to be a fiery explosion before midnight." I said to Bree. She nodded in agreement, then looked at her two brothers, who were still playing some stupid video game.

"Hey, I thought I told you guys to get lost!" She ordered. "The coolest girls in school are coming for a sleepover. I can't have this place smelling like feet and pickles."

Adam frowned, then sniffed his armpit. "No, not me. I'm armpits and onions."

Meanwhile, Chase looked a little bit jealous. "Hey! Why does Bree get to have a party?" He demanded, looking at Tasha and Mr. Davenport.

"Because she needs to socialize more with girls so she'll stop challenging random strangers to loogie contests." Tasha replied. Bree grinned proudly and I shook my head.

"Aw, but she's the champ!" Adam protested.

"She has had some epic hang times." Chase agreed. I looked at them.

"And this is why you guys do not and never will have girlfriends." I announced. Bree looked at me.

"Hey, you got to work up a green one. They're meatier." She explained. Even Mr. Davenport looked slightly disgusted at that.

"That's my little princess." He commented before walking away. Bree grinned and walked up to Tasha.

"So, I have watched every slumber party ever made." She announced to the two of us. "We're going to have a pillow fight, we're going to put cucumbers on our eyes, we're-"

"Going to shave Francesca's legs?" I suggested. Tasha looked at us, while Bree nodded.

"Agreed." She noticed Tasha's expression. "Her knees have eyebrows."

"I know her!" Chase chuckled. "Every time she sits down, she looks surprised."

"Idiots." I commented as Tasha pulled Bree and I away to discuss party details. "So, who's coming to this party anyway?"

"Stephanie Roberts, Rebeccka Fairweather, Jessica Henderson, Kaitlin Mulligan, Jennifer James, Kylie Hart, Francesca Farbar, and Danica McMuller." Bree listed, counting on her fingers. "So there's just going to be the ten of us."

"You invited Stephanie?" I repeated. She nodded. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

Leo's POV

I watched as Big D worked on one of his projects. I wasn't sure what it was or what it did, but he was focusing on it intently. Which meant I had to focus on it intently.

After a few seconds, I got bored. "What's that?" I asked. He started, as if he'd forgotten I was here.

He sighed. "It's a modulator."

I nodded and watched him work for another couple of seconds. Then I asked another question. "What's it do?"

Big D jerked back again, seeming surprised. "It modulates!" He snapped, going back to his work. I frowned.

"Why?" I asked. He sighed, sounding annoyed.

"Leo, even your breathing is distracting! You're like a mini Darth Vader. Just…" He looked around the room, his gaze locking on a pile of scrap metal. "Just put away those components. Just keep in mind they're very, very," I pushed them all into a bucket, "fragile."

"This is taking forever." I complained. My eyes widened as I got an idea. "When do we get to mix stuff with other stuff and blow stuff up?!"

He sighed. "Leo, science is not about blowing stuff up. It's about focus and getting in the zone. Here, let me show you," He waved his hands in front of his face a couple of times (it was really weird but whatever) then said, "And we're in."

He grabbed two wires and connected them. The device he was working on lit up and he smiled. "See? Now they're connected. Now can you please go get me that compressed air canister?" he requested, not taking his eyes off the device.

"Got it." I replied, jogging over to the far shelf and grabbing the metal canister off of it. I tossed it back and forth between my hands as I walked back to him. However, the third time I tossed it, I didn't manage to catch it. It hit the ground, then flew into the air with white smoke flying from it. Big D jumped back as it flew around the room, eventually crashing into his modulator. "It's got a little kick to it." I observed when it finally hit the ground and stayed there.

Big D glared at me, then sighed. "You're just lucky you didn't break my new laser deflector."

He picked up a large metal object with a large flat end on it. I grinned. "Laser detector? That's got my name written all over it!" I exclaimed, reaching for it. Big D pulled it out of my reach.

"If your name is Hands-Off-My-Stuff!" Big D snapped. He put the laser deflector down on his desk. "You know what? Come here."

He led me into the main part of the lab and sat me down at Calla's desk. "I have an incredibly important task I need you to supervise."

"Well I am a multi-tasking go-getter with a knack for professionalism." I told him eagerly. He nodded.

"Super. That will really come in handy while you're watching this download," he gestured at the computer screen, which had a tiny hourglass spinning on it, "for the next…five hours."

I frowned. "Five hours?" I repeated, spinning the chair so I could face him. "That's cutting into my cartoon time."

Big D shrugged. "Well if you don't want to be my lab assistant anymore…"

"No, no I do." I protested, turning back to the screen. "Hooray! Look at that little hourglass spin. I do love learning the science."

He just looked at me, then walked away, leaving me to watch the screen with a bored expression on my face.

Calla's POV

"What I don't get is why you would want to be friends with Stephanie!" I argued with Bree. She was about to object when the doorbell rang. She grinned and ran towards the door.

"They're here!" She exclaimed. Then, with an alarmed look on her face, she glanced down at her clothing. "I hate my outfit!" She cried.

She sped away and was back seconds later, this time wearing a blue T-shirt over a white long sleeve one. She looked down at it and grimace. "Worse!"

Once again, Bree left and came back before I could blink. She was wearing a t-shirt with the words LOVE ME all over it. She was grinning this time. "Better."

"Can I open the door yet?" I questioned, reaching for the door knob. She nodded and I opened the door. Stephanie, a tall, blonde girl walked in.

"Hi, I'm so-" Bree was cut off as Stephanie shoved her sleeping bag into her arms and looked around.

"Sick house." Stephanie grinned. "Totally huge, insane views, and it looks down on all the renters."

"Good to see you too, Steph." I faked a smile her way. Now, I could tell Bree how Stephanie really was, but she needed to learn this stuff for herself, else one day she was going to be betrayed by someone she sincerely thought was her friend.

"Okay girls!" Stephanie called out the door. "You can come in!"

Everyone else started to file in, much to Bree's delight. "Hi! Thanks for coming! So glad you could make it!" She greeted.

Everyone dumped their bags on the couch. Stephanie looked at Bree. "We were going to go to Kaitlin's, but her house is a dump compared to yours."

Kaitlin frowned. "I'm getting a pool!" She informed Stephanie. The blonde looked at her.

"In-ground or above?" Stephanie asked. Kaitlin beamed.

"Above." She replied. Stephanie rolled her eyes.

"Oh, nice. An outdoor bathtub. We might as well just go to the city pool." She commented.

Suddenly, Bree grinned and reached for a pillow. She gripped it tightly, then hit Stephanie with it, causing her to fall onto the couch. "Pillow fight!" Bree exclaimed, making me giggle.

Stephanie looked at her angrily. "Did you just hit me with that pillow?"

I took the liberty of answering for my best friend. "Yeah she did. And you just totally hit that couch!"

Stephanie glared at me, then at Bree. "Okay, if you're going to get all weird, we need to pull the drapes."

Bree frowned, confused. "Well, if we're not going to have a pillow fight, what are we going to do?"

"Duh, we're going to take pictures of ourselves having fun, then send them to the girls we didn't invite." Stephanie replied with a smirk. Suddenly, Adam and Chase walked over, trays of cheese and crackers in their hands.

"Hello ladies." Chase greeted, a too confident smirk on his face. Oh no, they were planning something. "May I offer you a healthy and delicious snack?"

Kaitlin reached for one and took it, just as Chase's smile faded into a grimace. "Man, I don't feel so good. AH!"

His hand shot out from inside his hoodie, covered in fake blood. Adam screamed and jumped behind Kaitlin and I, holding us tightly. "AH! It's alive! It's coming out of his chest!"

Chase gave him a look, and I bit my lip to stop from smirking. I looked at Adam. "Chase, tell him it's not real." I ordered.

"Adam, we went over this! It's a prank; I don't really have three arms!" To add emphasis, he jerked his shoulder, the fake arm he'd attached to it swinging.

"I know, but it looks so real." He replied, releasing Kaitlin and I.

I turned to Bree. "And this is why I always kick my brother out of the house before my sleepovers."

Stephanie frowned. "I wish you wouldn't. He's kinda cute."

"No, he's not!" I exclaimed, looking at her incredulously. Bree looked at me.

"Actually, Stephanie's not wrong about that." She admitted. I groaned. Seriously? Even Bree thought he was cute? Well, at least they weren't dating.

Leo's POV

Twenty minutes in and I was already bored out of my mind. I groaned and looked around for something to do. At least Eddy was here, I could talk with him.

"Eddy, you have no idea how boring it is to watch this download." I complained to the smart home system.

"Right, because I know nothing about being trapped somewhere watching boring things." He commented sarcastically. Suddenly, I had an idea.

"That's it!" I exclaimed. "I'm going to take down this firewall and speed this baby up."

I quickly typed in the correct code, then grinned as the firewall was taken down. "Ha! I just cut the download time to nothing! I'm a five-foot prince of perfection."

Suddenly, an alarm went off. "Firewall corruption in twenty seconds."

"Firewall corruption?" I gasped, begging to type again, trying to stop it. "No, no firewall corruption. No."

"What did you do?" Eddy groaned. "I feel sick. Ones and zeroes are flying out of both ends."

I gave him a disgusted look, then continued to type. Then sparks started flying from the computer and I jumped back as smoke started to rise from it. Oh crap. Calla was going to murder me. On the upside, it appeared as if I'd stopped the firewall corruption. Eddy's face appeared on the big screen, then disappeared. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Eddy. Thank God – I thought I downloaded a virus."

Then, a new face appeared on the screen. It wasn't Eddy's. It was what appeared to be a flaming skull.

"I'm your new friend, Teddy." The skull introduced itself. I gulped nervously. "Spoiler alert: I'm not your friend."

I started to back away. Maybe Calla could help me before Big D found out. That plan was cut short, though, when I walked right into the man himself. "What is going on?" He questioned. He looked at the screen. "And why is Eddy on fire?"

I struggled to think of a distraction. "Never mind him. You look great!"

Calla's POV

"Hate it, meh, never in a million years, that one's okay…" Stephanie had been going through Bree's wardrobe for about half an hour now. While most of the girls found this amusing, I found it boring and a waste of time.

"What's going on over here?" Tasha took this time to check in on us. Bree looked up at her, grinning.

"Stephanie's deciding which of my clothes are cute enough for her to wear." She told her. Tasha looked at her, then at me, then sat down next to both of us.

"Cute…boring…soccer mom…" Stephanie continued to separate Bree's clothing. "Yard sale…ugh, who died and gave you this?"

Tasha, like me, didn't seem to approve of this. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to give her all your clothes." She warned. Bree looked at her, an innocent look of confusion on her face.

"She's just borrowing them." She assured Tasha. Kaitlin and I bit back laughs.

"No, she's not." "You'll never see those clothes again." We replied. Suddenly, a sound from behind us distracted me.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Adam and Chase standing in the kitchen, the latter covered in what appeared to be flour.

"The boys are still trying to prank us." I mentioned to Bree and Tasha. Bree nodded.

"And how's that going for them?" She questioned, a knowing tone in her voice. I smirked.

"Not so well." I replied.

Leo's POV

So, Big D wasn't too happy with me for downloading a virus. Figures.

"Leo, I can't believe you let a virus into my mainframe!" Big D exclaimed in frustration as he furiously typed on Calla's computer. "And you got fudge all over the keyboard!"

"Actually, I think that was Calla. She has a box full of the stuff in her backpack." I informed him. He gave me a look. "I said I was sorry!"

Big D sighed, then brightened up. "Oh, wait! There's an override switch in Chase's capsule that will reset the system."

He ran into the capsule, bent over to activate the switch, then stopped. "Oh crap, I forgot the key. Leo, can you…" He trailed off as the capsule door slammed shut.

"Sorry, I don't have an open door policy." Teddy growled. Big D pushed on the door, but it wouldn't budge. "Have fun in there, Donny."

Big D sighed in annoyance. "Great. Well this can't get any worse."

"Oh yes it can!" Teddy shouted, almost sounding gleeful. "Because I'm going to bury you alive!"

Big D looked up just as food pellets began to pour from the top of the capsule. "Leo!"

"Don't look at me! You're the one who forced me to be your lab assistant!" I argued. He glared at me from inside the capsule.

"I've got to get you out of there!" I said, beginning to pace. The pellets were filling the capsule up fast. Already they were at his knees. Suddenly, I had an idea. "I know! I'll break the glass!"

With all the power I could muster, I kicked the glass. All it resulted in was a very, very sore foot. There wasn't even a scratch on the glass.

"It's not glass! It's a highly flexible industrial polymer designed to withstand a missile hit." Big D told me. I looked at him, trying to think?

"Have you got a missile?" I asked. He looked at me as if I was crazy.

"Not on me!" He shouted. "Get me out! Get me out! Get! Me! Out!"

"I'm sorry! I'm just trying to think outside the box!" I snapped. Then I realized what I just said. I began to laugh. "On ways to get you outside the box."

Big D clearly did not find it as amusing as I did. He sighed. "Just go upstairs and make sure everything is alright before the virus takes over the rest of the house."

I nodded. "Okay. I'm going to tell Mom to get everyone at the sleepover out."

I ran towards the elevator, only to be stopped when the lab doors shut and locked themselves. "Ooh, sleepover." Teddy chuckled. "Time to go torment the teens. BRB. TTYL."

I looked back at Big D. "Leo? Buddy?" He called. "Next time, try not to mention our secret plan in front of the giant flaming skull!"

Calla's POV

"Let's play a board game." Bree suggested.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "That would be appropriate, 'cause I'm bored." She suddenly brightened up, jumping to her feet. "I know! Let's rate each other on a scale from one to ten. I'm a ten. Who's next?"

"Okay, I think we've damaged enough self-esteem for one night." Tasha cut in before Stephanie could call anyone a one. "Why don't we tell a scary story?"

She sat down between Kaitlin and Rebeccka, a smile on her face. Stephanie merely chuckled. "If you want to hear a scary story, ask Kaitlin about her sweet sixteen."

Kaitlin looked offended. "You weren't even there!"

"I sent my people." Stephanie retorted. The two girls looked like they were about to argue, so Tasha and I stepped in. Tasha pulled Stephanie down onto the couch, while I pushed Kaitlin playfully.

"Hey, the cake was awesome." I assured her. She grinned at me as Tasha began her story.

"Many years ago, in this very spot, a group of pioneer girls, with one very mean one, were being chased by a demon. When he finally caught them, by their long blonde hair," both Kaitlin and Jessica reached for their hair, "he ground their bones into dust! And made clothes out of their livers!"

Suddenly, the front door creaked open. "What was that?" Jessica cried, clutching a pillow. Bree faked a smile.

"That was the sound of my stupid brothers trying to ruin my life!" She exclaimed. Suddenly, the boys popped out from behind the couch.

"That wasn't us." Chase informed us. "We were busy unloading our ant farm into your sleeping bags."

He started to laugh, although we were all just staring at him. "I thought it was funny." He said in defence.

Then, the lights went out. "It's worse than I thought! They didn't pay their electric bill!" I heard Stephanie complain.

The lights started flickering on, then off, then the TV turned on. On it was a large, freaky, flaming skull. The entire room was bathed in that frightening red light. "It's the liver demon!" Kaitlin screamed.

"Hide your livers!" Rebeccka called. Pretty much everyone in the room screamed, with the exception of me, Bree, Adam, Tasha, and Chase.

"Is this one of the pranks we planned?" Adam hissed to Chase. I turned around to look at him, hoping he'd say yes.

"No, it's not." Chase said, staring at the screen. Adam's face paled and he jumped into Chase's arms.

"Hold me!" He cried, holding on to his brother for dear life. And then, even the boys were screaming.

Leo's POV

Okay, this was not good. I was still locked in the lab, the food pellets were up to Big D's waist, and Teddy was upstairs doing who-knows-what to the girls.

"You know," I looked at Big D, "if you eat a lot of those really fast, you might live a little longer."

"Don't tell me…actually, that might work." Big D admitted, shoving a handful of the food pellets into his mouth. After a second, he looked like he was going to be sick.

"Are you alright?" I asked. He faked a smile.

"It's so good my stomach is pushing it back up so I can enjoy it again." He replied. I frowned.

"I'm so sorry about this, Big D." I apologized.

"Well you should be!" He snapped. "I gave you a shot and you blew it, and now this virus is going to wipe us out one by one."

I looked at him. "Okay, I think you're overreacting."

Suddenly, a jet of flames exploded in Adam and Bree's capsules. Big D looked at them in horror, then at me. "Now you can overreact." I told him.

Calla's POV

"AH!" Adam screamed, hugging Tasha for dear life. On the bright side, no one else was screaming anymore.

"Guys, I'm scared." Kaitlin announced. "Let's get out of here."

"No one cares if you're scared!" Stephanie snapped. "I'm scared. That's why we're leaving."

Everyone got up to leave, including Adam, but Bree tried to stop them. "Wait, don't go!" She cried. "Who's up for a loogie contest?"

That just made them want to leave more. But before they could, the door swung closed.

"You're not going anywhere!" The flaming skull chuckled. "This sleepover's just begun! Can I get a what-what?"

All he got was more screaming. Bree, Chase, Tasha and I watched as everyone tried to run upstairs. They were stopped by sparks flying from the ceiling. They ran towards the hall, but the skull appeared on the TV to prevent them.

"There's no time to sleep when you're living in a nightmare." The other girls plus Adam started running in all directions. Stephanie ran back over to us.

"Bree, what is going on?" she demanded.

"Something must be wrong with our smart home system. That, or we built our home on the graves of the dead pioneer girls." Bree replied. "But let's not let it ruin our fun!"

"Anybody hungry?" We turned to see that the screen on the fridge had lit up with the skull's image. "Who wants a sandwich?"

The refrigerator door opened and food flew out at Kaitlin's face, covering it completely. Everyone, including Bree, screamed and ran down the hall. I reached forward and grabbed Adam by his shirt collar before he could follow him.

"Oh no you don't!" I snapped. "Chase, get over here!"

He ran over to Adam and I. "I swear we didn't do this." He promised me. I nodded.

"Good, because if you did, I'd have to kill you. Or hire you to run the school's haunted house. One of those." I shook my head to clear. "Look, just go find Leo and Mr. Davenport and tell them to fix this."

Chase looked at me as if I was crazy. "Are you kidding? In a horror movie, the first person to leave the group always gets killed!" He glanced at his brother. "After you, Adam."

Adam grinned. "Why thank you, Chase. That's so nice."

He walked towards the lab, leaving Chase grinning like the idiot he sometimes is. "Go!" I snapped. He raised his hands in defence.

"M'am, yes m'am." He muttered, following after his brother.

Tasha ran up to me. "Where are they going?" she questioned.

"Oh, I told them to go find your husband so he can fix whatever your son did." I replied. Tasha looked at me. "You have to admit, Leo is usually at least partially responsible for the daily disaster."

She sighed, but didn't answer as everyone came running back in. The flaming skull appeared on Eddy's main monitor and popped out as a holographic image. "How's about a little AC?"

Suddenly, ice cold air started coming from the vents. And it wasn't a little breeze either – the strength of the wind was almost tornado strength.

Instinctively, we all grabbed onto something to hang onto. Rebeccka and I held onto one support beam, while Bree was gripping the other with one hand. The other hand was being held onto by Stephanie, her long hair whipping wildly around her. I could only image what it was doing to mine.

"I only came here because you had a cool house, but now you're making me look bad!" The blonde accused. Bree looked at her, hurt.

"You only came over because of my house?" she questioned.

"Well duh!" Stephanie replied. Bree smirked.

"Well you should take a tour. It will blow you away." She said before releasing Stephanie. She was blown all the way down the hallway until we heard a satisfying thud.

Rebeccka laughed, grinning despite everything that was going on around us. "I don't care if Red Skull is trying to kill us – this is the best party I've been to all year!"

Leo's POV

"Okay, I really don't think this is going to work." I muttered, still hitting the capsule door with a tiny little hammer. It's not like I had many other options though – the food pellets were already up to Big D's neck.

Suddenly, a creaking sound from behind me caught my attention. I turned to see Adam pushing the lab doors open, just big enough for him and Chase to slip through. They both ran up to us, slightly panicked.

"Guys, you won't believe this!" Adam exclaimed. "I think there's something wrong with the house!"

We all looked at him. "No." We all said sarcastically, shaking our heads at him.

"How are the girls?" Big D questioned.

"They're fine." Chase assured us. Adam frowned.

"Really? Even the one with no neck?" He asked, shrugging in an attempt to mimic her.

"Never mind that. Eddy has a virus." I informed them. "You need to go fix it."

"And we're kinda in a hurry." Big D added. Chase nodded and ran off to Calla's computer while Adam attempted to pull the door open.

"No!" Chase exclaimed seconds later, clearly upset. "I don't know how to get rid of it!"

"But I know how to get rid of you!" Teddy called. The lights turned blue and several objects looking similar to cameras lowered from the ceiling. "I'll use Davenport's secret laser security system."

I turned to glare at Big D. "You have to stop inventing things, man!"

Big D rolled his eyes. "Adam, Chase. You're bionic, so the lasers will only stun you."

"What about me?" I demanded, afraid of the answer.

"Oh, they'll cut you in half." He replied, almost cheerfully. Wonderful. I ducked down behind the consol, hoping none of the lasers were pointing my way.

"We're never going to be able to beat this thing!" Chase exclaimed. "It's a computer."

"Wait a minute! It's just like our video game, Mental Chaos!" I grinned. "If we can dodge his lasers and find his power source, we can take this thing out."

"But if it's shooting lasers at us, how are we going to fight back?" Chase wondered aloud. Adam grinned.

"I have lasers in my eyes!" He reminded Chase. I looked around and saw Big D's laser deflector.

"And I have a laser deflector!" I reached for it, then remembered what Big D had said. "Wait, I'm not supposed to use this."

"Yes, you can use it!" Big D snapped. I frowned.

"But I specifically remember you telling me I'm not supposed to touch it, I'm not supposed to play with it, I'm not supposed to lick-" (1)

"Use it!" Big D cut me off midsentence. Nodding, I grabbed the laser deflector and ducked next to Adam and Chase.

"Everyone prepare to be destroyed! In three…two…one!" We all dropped to the floor as a laser shot right over our heads.

"Okay, we've got this." Chase announced. He looked at the older boy. "I'll be the decoy. You go left, I'll go right."

Chase stood up and faced Teddy. "Hey flame face! Over here!" He dodged a laser, then jumped over the consol. While he used his fancy martial arts skills to distract Teddy, Adam used his heat vision to melt the lasers and I used the deflector to send them right back where they came from.

Chase jumped onto the counter in the middle of the room. "Go ahead! Take your best shot!"

He looked at Adam. "Go!"

Adam shot another laser at Teddy's weapons while Chase did a flip over one of the lasers.

"Catch me if you can!" Chase teased, flipping over yet another laser. Adam shot one of his own deadly lasers and it hit Teddy in the face. His screen shut down and the two boys fist-bumped.

"Dude, we did it!" Chase laughed in relief. Of course he would be the idiot to jinx it.

"Surprise!" Teddy appeared on the main monitor. Two lasers shot out from opposite ends and hit them. They both fell to the ground, Adam lying on top of Chase. Ooh, that did not look comfortable.

"Guys?" I called, checking if they were alright.

"It's up to you!" Chase called back from his awkward position on the floor. "Aim for the USB port! It's the only way into the motherboard!"

I hesitated. "I don't think I can do it. It's too tiny." I objected. I leaned back against the consol. This was hopeless.

"Remember what I told you!" Big D encouraged. "Lock in and focus. Get in the zone!"

At this point, I was desperate enough to try anything. I mimicked Big D's hand wave thingy from before. "And we're in."

Teddy wasn't intimidated in the least. "Any final requests, little man?"

I jumped to my feet, the last deflector held tightly in my hand. "Yeah! Get out of my house!"

A laser was shot at me, but bounced off the deflector. I ran around the counter, dodging lasers, then ran at the supercomputer's hard drive. I hit the ground, sliding past Adam and Chase, the deflector held outwards. A laser was shot at me, but hit the deflector. It bounced off and went straight towards the USB port.

"NO! Well there go my plans for the weekend!" Teddy cried, disappearing. I grinned as the lights went back to normal, the laser system deactivated, and the capsule door opened.

"I did it!" I cried happily. "I killed it! And when I killed it, I was killing it!"

Big D chuckled, climbing out of the capsule. The second the door had opened, food pellets spilled over onto the floor. I felt bad for whomever was going to have to clean that up.

"You know if I didn't have piles of food pellets in my man-folds right now, I'd almost be impressed." Big D commented, walking over Adam and Chase to stand in front of me.

"Does that mean I can be one of your lab assistants?" I questioned hopefully.

"Well, let's do the math. How about 'forget it' plus 'are you crazy' divided by 'are you out of your mind' multiplied by 'you almost killed me'."

I thought about what he said. "Equals maybe to me."

Big D just shook his head. "If you excuse me, those food pellets were relatively high in fibre."

I sighed, but followed after him, smirking as I heard Adam and Chase calling after me. They were probably going to be stuck like that for a while.

Calla's POV

"Thanks for coming! Sorry my house is haunted." For someone who's first ever slumber party was ruined by a flaming skull from hell, Bree was pretty optimistic about how the night went. She stood by the door as her guests walked out, holding out a plate of smores. "Smore for the road?"

"Just so you know, we're never coming back." Stephanie snapped.

"Oh, that's a shame." Tasha said sarcastically. "Because you, young lady, are a delight."

Stephanie stormed out without another word, leaving just me, Jessica, Kaitlin, and Rebeccka.

"Just for the record, she doesn't speak for the rest of us." Jessica told Bree. Rebeccka nodded.

"No party is complete without something psychotic happening." She agreed. Kaitlin nodded.

"Yeah, tonight was fun. And if you were serious about that loogie contest, I can hack a mean one."

Bree beamed. "Awesome! I bet if we hurry, we can still hit Stephanie's car!"

We all ran into the front yard to do so. Bree and I sure had some weird friends, but at least they were real ones.

FLASHBACK END

Bree's POV

"How long were you guys stuck on the floor for?" Janelle asked. Calla and I exchanged smirks.

"Long enough for us to draw on their faces with permanent markers." Calla replied, chuckling. Chase sent her a glare.

"That was just mean." He grumbled. She laughed.

"Still don't regret it." She replied. She glanced at me. "Bree, any regrets?"

"Actually yes. I wish we'd taken photos." I answered. Calla nodded.

"Yeah, that would have been a good idea."


	24. The Decision

Calla's POV

I groaned, stumbling into Study Hall. I was so tired. I'd been at the Davenport's all night, catching up on all the work I was behind on while the guys were on a mission. Some of the stuff I had been working on was invention prototypes that had to be ready for testing by next week or they wouldn't be ready the next time The Call came around and I had barely begun to work on the second one when Mr. Davenport sent me home at 3 AM. I was going to be doing a lot of overtime this week that was for sure.

I tossed my backpack onto the desk and slumped down in a chair, wishing Chase was here. He usually knew how to wake me up in the morning. However today, he and his siblings were down at the news station, doing another interview. Seriously guys, hasn't the excitement about the bionics gone down by now? All of us were sick of it by now, including me and Leo. I mean obviously we weren't the main event, but a lot of people seemed to know who we were now. Which was okay, if you didn't mind the people pretending to be your friends so they can get close to Adam, Bree, and Chase, or the fangirls who wanted me gone so they could have Chase all to themselves. I swear, if one more idiotic little bubble-headed girl tries to scare me away again…

I sighed. I really wasn't enjoying being known only as 'Chase's girlfriend' by the public. I wanted to be taken seriously as a scientist and an inventor, and this wasn't helping me at all. Besides, I missed having Chase around. With him being so busy now with all the interviews and popularity and me being busy with all the extra work, we hardly had time for each other nowadays.

"Hey, want a drink?" A voice suddenly cut into my thoughts. I looked up to see Kieran standing there, holding two steaming cups. He smiled kindly. "You look like you can use one."

"You're amazing." I purred in appreciation, taking the drink from him. He shrugged.

"I made two, but I can't for the life of me remember who the second was supposed to be for." He replied. "So, I figured I'd give it to you. Seeing as you're practically sleeping on our table."

"Yeah, sorry. Thanks though." I took a sip of the drink. Tea, yummy. Kieran smirked at my expression as he sat down.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you liked it." He joked. I nodded.

"I haven't had a good cup of tea in ages. My dad used to make it all the time." I told him, feeling the usual pang of sadness that came whenever Dad was mentioned. Kieran didn't seem to notice though.

"Why'd he stop making it? Did he lose a taste for the stuff?" he inquired. I shook my head.

"He left – he was posted overseas." I replied. Kieran nodded, knowing better than to ask for more details, then frowned. He looked around the room as if searching for something, grimacing in pain. I frowned, confused.

"Something wrong?" I asked, concerned. He sighed.

"Hey, you know that feeling you get when you know you've forgotten something important, but you just can't remember what it is, no matter how hard you try?" He asked. I nodded. "Yeah, well I've been getting that a lot lately, but every time I try to remember, I get this massive headache."

"And you have no idea what you've forgotten?" I confirmed. He nodded, the creases in his forehead relaxing as the headache passed. "Could it have been someone's birthday?"

He shook his head. "No, at least I don't think so. None of my friends have birthdays this month."

I thought about it. "What about homework? You forget to do that?" I asked.

"Nope, I triple checked it. Everything's done. And before you suggest it, I have not lost my keys or forgotten my phone anywhere." He told me as I started to open my mouth. I stared at him.

"Geez, can you read minds or something?" I muttered, trying to think of something he could have forgotten. I kept coming up blank, so I went with the first thing I could think of, no matter how illogical. "I know!"

"What?" Kieran asked, looking at me. I smirked.

"You've forgotten that you have a long lost twin brother that's out to destroy the universe!" I exclaimed, pointing at him. He stared at me for a long moment, before bursting out laughing. I laughed too.

"Okay, someone's clearly been watching too much TV." He decided. I crossed my arms, feigning annoyance.

"Hey, one of these days I'm going to be right about the long lost twin thing!" I told him. He raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, you've accused other people of having long lost evil twins?" He questioned, chuckling. I felt my smirk grow.

"Hey, it COULD happen." I defended myself. Kieran shook his head.

"The day you end up being right about that, I'll pay you two hundred dollars." He promised me. I laughed.

"It's a deal." I agreed. Suddenly, my phone vibrated. I quickly checked it and smiled when I saw who the text was from.

From: Chase

Hey beautiful, I'm gonna be at the school in two minutes. Where are you?

"Is that from your boyfriend?" Kieran teased as I typed out a quick response. I nodded, rereading the message before sending it.

To: Chase

I'm in Study Hall with Kieran. Miss you.

"Yes, it was from Chase." I told the brown haired boy. He nodded.

"You know, I still haven't met this guy yet." He commented. I frowned, then nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry, I should have introduced you guys earlier. My bad." I apologized. Kieran shrugged.

"It's no big deal, Calla. Besides, you've been really busy lately, right?" He asked. "What have you been working on?"

I grinned. While I despised working until 3 AM, I adored talking about the inventions I was working on. "Well, I got the idea after watching the nature channel…"

Chase's POV

"Study hall, study hall." I murmured under my breath, jogging into the school. I hated missing any of my classes, but this morning Adam, Bree, and I had been forced to go to some stupid interview. It was cool and all, but I was glad to be back at school.

I walked into the study hall room, searching for Calla. I found her in a few seconds, talking to some kid. He was short, with soft brown hair that went just past his ears. She was talking quickly, making gestures with her hands that could only mean she was excited about what she was talking about. The boy nodded every so often, occasionally taking a sip of one of the two drinks.

"Hey. What's with the drink?" I asked curiously, walking up. Calla and the boy stopped talking and looked at me. Calla grinned.

"Oh, he brought me tea. Isn't that nice of him?" She replied, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. The boy stood up and held out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Kieran. I'm new." He introduced himself. Suddenly, I felt a chill go down my spine.

FLASHBACK

"Hi." I turned away from my locker when I heard someone's voice. I turned to see a tall boy with dark hair standing behind me. I didn't recognize him.

"I'm Marcus." He introduced. "I'm new."

FLASHBACK ENDS

Why did this Kieran kid remind me of Marcus? Something about him just seemed…off.

"…Hi." I replied. Kieran didn't seem to notice my hesitation.

"Calla talks a lot about you. It must be so cool to be bionic." He continued. I nodded.

"Yeah, it is. Hey, I'm just curious, what school did you go to before here?" I asked, trying to keep my tone casual. I knew nothing about this guy, and I didn't like that.

"Homeschooled, actually." Kieran replied before grimacing.

"Everything alright?" I questioned. He nodded.

"Just a headache." He assured me. I nodded.

"Alright, where did you live before? California?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yes, I did. Why?" He asked, sounding a little ruffled by the questions. Interesting…

"So, what do your parents do? Why'd you move here?" I continued with my questions. Calla gave me a look.

"What's with all the questions, Chase?" She asked before Kieran could even answer. "Stop pestering the poor guy."

"It's no big de-" Kieran began, but I interrupted him.

"Calla, can I talk to you outside?" I requested, gesturing at the door. Calla frowned at me, but nodded. She glanced at Kieran.

"Be right back." She told him before following me out the door. I closed it behind us, watching Kieran through the window. "Chase?"

"What do you know about him?" I asked. Calla looked at me.

"His name is Kieran Daniels. He is only a year younger than us, but he's taking mostly advanced classes, so I have three classes with him. He likes animals and wants to be a veterinarian when he grows up. His birthday is the 25th of May." She listed. She looked at me. "I can go on, you know, but I want to know why you're interrogating him."

"You DO remember the last time we got a new kid, right?" I demanded. She frowned.

"You mean Alistair? I remember Adam, Bree, and Jaden tormenting him. Wait; is this a new sort of tradition with the new kids?" She inquired. "Because if it is, it's kinda weird."

"Before Alistair." I insisted. She frowned.

"But there weren't any new kids before Alistair except for…" Realization made her eyes light up, "Okay, why are you bringing Marcus into all this?"

"Let's see. He's a new kid that we don't know much about. He's clearly very determined to be friends with you, since he's bringing you coffee and all that. Oh, and he wants to know about our bionics." I pointed out. Calla let out a laugh, but it seemed a little more annoyed than amused.

"It's not a crime to be a new kid at school, and since you only just met him like three minutes ago, how can you expect to know that much about him? Second of all, people can do nice things for each other because they're nice. He can be my friend if he wants, and I generally like him. And also, I don't think there's a person on the planet that doesn't want to know all about your bionics." She pointed out. I crossed my arms.

"What about his parents? He could be Krane's son for all we know!" I exclaimed. Calla crossed her arms as well, starting to look a little annoyed.

"I seriously doubt that, considering that his parents are dead, Chase." She snapped. I frowned.

"What?" I asked, confused. She sighed.

"His parents died in a car accident a couple of months before he came here. He's living with his new foster parents, the Dores." She informed me. "That's why I wanted you to stop asking questions about them. Seriously, how would you feel?"

I sighed. Okay, maybe I shouldn't have started interrogating the guy like that. But something about him seemed off. Really off. And I did not like it one bit. "I don't think you should hang out with him."

Calla stared at me, frowning. "Sorry, what did you say? I think I must have misheard you."

"I said I don't think you should hang out with him." I repeated. She stared at me and opened her mouth to argue, but I didn't give her the chance. "Look Cal, there's something wrong about him. He gives me this really bad feeling."

"And that gives you the right to tell me who I should and shouldn't hang out with?" Calla asked, her voice cold and serious. I gulped. That was never a good sign. A deadly serious Calla was twice as frightening as a shouting Calla.

"Remember when Marcus gave you the heebie-jeebies? You told me not to hang out with him then, and I still regret not listening to you." I reminded her. She looked at me and I could tell that she was seriously pissed off at me now.

"A, you should because you kinda implied that I was crazy,." She snapped. "And I can make my own decisions, Chase!"

"I'm just trying to protect you!" I retorted. She laughed darkly.

"Really? What it looks like to me is that you just hate all my friends!" She growled. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, that's an exaggeration." I told her. She looked at me, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Is it? Right now, the only friends I have that aren't part of your crazy family are Caleb, Kieran, and Kaitlin. Let's see…You don't like Kaitlin. That…okay, that I can understand. You hate Caleb, whom you promised to try and get along with. And now you hate Kieran, and you barely know him. The only people you don't have a problem with me hanging out with are you, your family, and Jaden!"

"Calla…" I began, attempting to reason with her. She needed to understand that I wasn't trying to control her or anything, that I was just worried about her. She didn't give me the chance to explain though.

"Don't bother Chase." She growled. "I'm going to be friends with whomever I please, and you don't get to have a say, got it?"

She didn't wait for my response. Instead, she spun on her heel and stormed back into Study Hall. I groaned, leaning against the door. That could have gone a lot better.

Kieran's POV

"So are you sure it's cool for me to come over and check out your new invention?" I questioned, walking alongside Calla. I knew she'd gotten in a pretty bad argument with her boyfriend earlier and since I suspected that I was at least part of the reason they'd been angry at each other, I didn't want to get in the middle of it. Calla sighed.

"It's fine, Kieran. Like I said, it's my decision who my friends are." She replied, shouldering her backpack. I shrugged.

"Okay. Oh, did you see that van outside the school when we left?" I questioned. She nodded.

"Yeah, so?" She asked. I grinned.

"It didn't have a license plate. That's weird, isn't it?" I continued. She shrugged.

"Yeah, I suppose. But maybe he's just waiting on a custom one to come in or something. Either way, it's not really our business, right?"

I shrugged. "Good point. But you have to admit, it is weird."

"Agreed." She nodded. She smiled at me. "Now come on. I want to show you my invention!"

"So what is this invention?" I questioned.

"Yeah, what invention?" We both turned to see Chase walking up behind us. Calla raised an eyebrow.

"Hi." She greeted, her tone cold. Chase winced at her tone, and I didn't blame him. Calla sure seemed scary when she was mad.

"So, what's the invention?" He asked again, although hesitantly.

"One of my new ones. Why?" Calla demanded. Chase sighed.

"You're still mad." He observed. Calla rolled her eyes.

"No shit, Sherlock." She muttered. Chase shook his head at her.

"I'm not taking back what I said." He told her. They both turned on each other, clearly having forgotten that I was here. Which was okay. I didn't want to get dragged into this.

"You know what? I'll just go." I announced, turning around. I started to head the other way when something caught my eye. A large black van was driving behind us, way too slowly to be normal. For a second I thought maybe they were lost and had slowed down to ask for directions. Then I noticed the lack of license plate. With a start, I realized that it was the same van from the school. But there was nothing on this road except for a few houses. Why would it be following us? Oh crap. It was following us.

"Oh, crap." I muttered, looking around. There was no one else out here, except for the van, Calla, Chase, and I. The van continued to drive slowly towards us, creeping closer and closer to the curb. I gulped, then ran towards my friends. Calla and Chase were standing in the middle of the sidewalk arguing, completely oblivious to the van. I grabbed them by their shoulders and pushed them forward, walking briskly behind them.

"We're kinda in the middle of-" Chase started to tell me, but I didn't give him the chance.

"Hey, you remember that van without a licence plate, right?" I asked, cutting Chase off. Calla looked at me.

"Yeah, why?" She asked. I glanced over my shoulder. The van was gaining ground.

"It's following us." I told them. Both geniuses narrowed their eyes at me, then glanced over their shoulders.

"Chase, he's right." Calla told him. He nodded.

"Alright. Relax. It'll be fine." He assured us, pulling out his phone. "I'll call Adam and Bree. They'll be over here in a few-" The van took that opportunity to speed up, then skid to a stop in front of us at the end of the sidewalk. "-seconds."

"Run for it!" I shouted. Neither Calla nor Chase had to be told twice. We bolted in the other direction, glancing over our shoulders. Three men ran out, carrying something in their hands. At first I thought they were guns, but I wasn't so sure.

"Bree? Track my phone, NOW!" I heard Chase shout into his cell. Unfortunately for us, the van started up again, heading our way while there were still men behind us. "We've got a-AH!"

Chase dropped to the ground, writhing in pain. It looked as if he'd been…tasered. That's what the men had. Not guns, but tasers. "Chase!" Calla screamed, seeing him in pain. She spun around to run back to him and I saw one of the men pull out another taser.

"Move!" I ordered, pushing her out of the way just as the man shot it. I let out a gasp as I felt my muscles freeze in place and groaned as my head hit the ground. I heard Calla shout and saw one of the men grab her from behind. He held some sort of cloth over her mouth, not moving it as she struggled to free herself.

Just as her movements started to get more and more sluggish, I heard a man's voice. "Hey, this one's still awake." There was a sudden blow to my head, and everything went dark.

Xxx

I groaned, forcing open my eyes. I had another headache. Wonderful. Not just that, but I also happened to be tied to a chair with my hands cuffed behind my back.

"Kieran? You alive back there?" I heard Calla's voice come from behind me. I turned my aching head as much as I could and saw that she was tied in a chair right behind me. Chase was sitting across from both of us in a similar set up. The only difference was that his handcuffs were larger and glowed blue. I instantly knew that they were used to block his bionics, although how I knew such information eluded me.

"Yeah, still breathing. You okay?" I asked, craning my head back as far as I could. She nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. They drugged me instead of tasing me. Not sure if I should be relieved at that, or freaked out at the fact that we've been freaking kidnapped!" She growled the last bit, letting a little bit of her anger show. Chase cleared his throat, getting my attention.

"What about you? That looks like a nasty cut on your forehead." He commented. I nodded, wincing at the pain.

"Yeah, someone decided it was a good idea to kick me in the head." I replied. He frowned.

"Are you alright?" He asked. I might have imagined it, but there was a hint of concern in his voice. I smirked.

"I thought you didn't like me." I teased. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm not a total ass." He muttered, glaring at me. I smiled at him.

"I'm okay, thanks." I replied. I looked around. "So, who are the dudes who took us?"

"Not sure yet." Chase replied. "I can't use my bionics – that's what these special handcuffs are for. They're-"

"Bionic disruptors, I know." I cut him off before he could give us all a long and boring lecture on the things. Usually, I wouldn't be so rude, but I wasn't in the best of moods. Chase narrowed his eyes at me.

"How do you know what they are?" He questioned, using the same suspicious tone as before. I frowned, unable to answer him. How DID I know that?

"Is now really the time for this, Chase?" Calla growled. "Let's just get out of here already!"

"And I suppose you have a brilliant plan?" He demanded. She narrowed her eyes at him, but was silent. "Well?"

"I'm working on it." She growled. He nodded.

"Working on it." He repeated, slightly upset. "That's great, Calla. That's really great. While you do that, we'll do something useful."

"Guys!" I exclaimed, cutting off Calla's very un-ladylike response. "Save the couple stuff for later. Live in the moment and at the moment, we're in some pretty deep guano."

"You can say that again kid." We all looked towards the door of our little cell as a man walked in. He was tall, with blond hair and cold silver-blue eyes. Three masked men followed him.

"Who the hell are you?" Chase growled, glaring at him.

"Actually Chase, can we skip the introductions and skip right to the part where you kick their asses?" Calla questioned, eyes narrowing at the men. The man chuckled and pulled out a phone. He smirked as he looked through it.

"Chase Michael Davenport, bionic super soldier. You're famous kid, but more importantly, your daddy's a pretty rich man – I suspect he'll pay quite a large ransom for you."

"Wait, this is all because he's famous?" I demanded, wide eyed. The man didn't answer, but his silence gave me his answer. "Hey Calla? No offense, but I'm not liking your boyfriend very much right now."

"Yeah, I'm not liking him too much right now either." She agreed. The man's gaze fixated on her.

"You're Calla Alexandria Parker." He noted. She tensed up slightly, then raised her head to look at him defiantly.

"Who are you and how do you know who I am?" She challenged. Damn, that girl was brave.

The man chuckled. "The name's Damian Hood." He introduced. "As for you, you're Calla Parker, personal assistant to Donald Davenport – the mastermind behind the bionic weapons. Not to mention, you're one of Mission Creek's brightest minds. I'm sure your boss wouldn't want to lose you. I'd bet that he'd pay pretty high for you too."

Calla glared at him, but didn't say another word. Then Damian turned to me. "And you're some random kid. We don't need you."

I gulped nervously. Usually, when a bad guy who's kidnapped you decides that you're not useful, they put a bullet in your head. And as pleasant as that sounds, it's not something I'd like to experience.

"What do you want us to do with him?" One of his side-kicks demanded.

"He works for Mr. Davenport too!" Calla exclaimed suddenly. Damian looked at her in disbelief, but I nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, I do." I agreed. He crossed his arms.

"Really? And what exactly do you do?" He questioned. I panicked for a moment, then noticed that Chase was mouthing two words at me.

"Mission Specialist." I repeated. I looked at the men. "I'm the Mission Specialist."

"Well?" Damian glanced at his right-hand man. The guy checked his phone.

"It does say that Davenport has a Mission Specialist. Doesn't say who though." The guy informed Damian. He nodded.

"Alright. We'll set the ransom at 5 million. 3 for the bionic, 1 for each of the assistants." He decided. They nodded and all the men left us alone, although judging by the shadows under the door, there was at least two of them guarding us.

"That was some fast thinking, Calla." I commented. "Thanks."

"No prob." She breathed in response. She looked at Chase. "I hope you have a plan, Boy Wonder."

"I'm working…shut up." He growled, noticing the expressions on her face. "Look, Mr. Davenport knows we're in trouble. He'll send Adam, Bree, and-"

Calla coughed loudly then and he broke off, looking as if she'd just stopped him from saying something he shouldn't. Clearly, the bionics still had some secrets that they didn't want the world to know yet. "And our secret weapon." He finished, looking at her. I could see that some sort of silent conversation was going on between the two of them.

I would have smiled had the situation been different. It was kinda sweet that they could communicate so well without having to speak. It really showed how close they were.

"So your brother and sister are going to save our butts?" I confirmed. They both nodded. "Alright, how long is that going to take?"

Suddenly, there was a loud commotion outside the door and a fist-shaped dent appeared in the door. "Not very long." Chase reasoned, glancing at it. Seconds later, the door opened and Bree and Leo ran in. I frowned; why would they bring the Leo one with them? He wasn't bionic and could get hurt.

"Calla, Chase, are you okay?" Bree demanded, super-speeding to her brother's side. She pulled out what looked like a small screwdriver and began to work on removing his handcuffs. She glanced at me. "What's he doing here?"

"He was kidnapped alongside us." Calla explained, smiling at her. Leo ran over and began to unlock my handcuffs. "And what took you guys so long?"

Leo chuckled. "We could just leave you here." He pointed out. She laughed.

"You wouldn't dare!" She exclaimed, standing up as she was released. She rubbed her wrists and looked at Bree. "Adam dealing with Damian and his men?"

Bree nodded quickly, still focused on Chase's. Apparently his were taking longer because they were specially designed to counter-act his bionics. Meanwhile, Leo was almost done uncuffing me. "Yes, there's more men than we thought though. At least a dozen, and they're all armed with both guns and tasers." She replied.

"Yeah, we know about the tasers." Chase muttered. I stood up and looked at them.

"Wait, a dozen? He only had four when he came in here." I frowned in confusion. Leo shrugged.

"He must have had more outside. Let's go!" He exclaimed as Chase and Calla were finally released. But the second we made it out the door, we realized how difficult escape was going to be.

Chase's POV

"Oh crap." I muttered, realizing how dangerous the situation was. We were evidently in some sort of warehouse and had been being kept in an office-turned-prison-cell. There were large crates everywhere. Adam was doing his best to deal with the armed guards, but there was so many of them, and now they had their sights focused on us.

"Don't let them escape! Three bionic kids are worth more than one!" I heard Damian shout. Several of his men turned towards us, his weapons ready. Instinctively, I raised my shield around us. It ended up being a good idea as many of them shot in the same moment I did. The bullets bounced off the force field harmlessly.

"What's the escape plan?" I demanded, glancing back at the others. Leo and Bree looked like they were fine, but Calla and Kieran looked very freaked out. And why shouldn't they? Kieran had probably never been in any sort of danger before in his life and even though Calla had seen quite a few life-threatening situations with us, she had always been pretty scared of guns. It's one of the reasons she built her Paragun – it wasn't as lethal as most weapons.

"There's a fire exit in the south-west corner." Bree replied, backing away from the edge of the shield. I followed her gaze towards it. I could see the little red sign above an ordinary brown door. The only problem was that we'd have to get past all these men first.

"What about Mom? Have you called her yet?" Calla asked. I started to back up, the gunmen's constant shooting starting to tire me out. Bree nodded, almost too fast to see.

"Yeah, she's got a squad on the way. Jaden's at our place." She replied. I nodded.

"Hey Adam!" I called. He was backed near the far corner. For once, he was being smart. Instead of fighting them from a distance, he was getting in close to his enemy so they wouldn't have the room to shoot. It seemed to be working for him. "Blast wave on three!"

I saw him nod to acknowledge me, then I looked at the others. "When I say three, Adam's going to use his blast wave. That should give us enough time to run out of here. Stay close and don't get killed." I ordered. "One! Two! Three!"

Adam's blast wave came right in time. The strength of the blow knocked most of the men off their feet and we made a run for it. We were almost at the door when a few of them managed to get up.

"Shit!" I swore, ducking as a bullet went right over my head. I pushed the door open with my telekinesis and motioned towards it. "Everyone out! NOW!"

I threw my shield up again to protect our escape route. The others dodged bullets at they ran towards me. Bree, Leo and Adam made it out the door and Calla and her new little friend would be safe soon too.

"Whoa!" Calla exclaimed suddenly, leaping back as she was nearly hit in the leg. "Watch it, moron!"

Then everything seemed to go in slow motion. My eyes widened as I saw what Calla clearly didn't. A single bullet, standing out from the rest. It was heading right for her head. If it hit her…

"CALLA!" I screamed desperately, trying to warn her. She frowned and began to turn, but it was too late. It was going to kill her and there was nothing I could do!

Kieran's POV

"CALLA!" Chase screamed suddenly. I didn't know why he shouted, but I instinctively knocked the girl to the ground, both of us tumbling behind a large crate.

"AH!" She screamed, clutching her shoulder. Then I realized what had happened. Chase had been trying to warn her about an oncoming bullet. Judging by the look of pure terror in his eyes, it had been about to kill her. By pushing her out of the way, I'd ensured that instead of hitting her in the head, the bullet had just grazed her shoulder.

"You okay?" I hissed, pushing myself off of her. She clenched her eyes close, clearly in pain, but nodded anyway.

"Ow. Fuck. I'm. Ow. Fine." She managed through clenched teeth.

"Hey boss! I think you hit the girl!" I heard one of the men shout.

"Forget her! Get the non-damaged ones!" Damian shouted back. A surge of anger went through me. Damian, the bastard who kidnapped us, had shot Calla. The first person to even talk to me since I'd come to Mission Creek. No way in hell was he going to get away with that.

"Calla!" I heard Chase's desperate shout. There was agony in his voice. Calla struggled to sit up, breathing heavy as she tightened her grip on her injured shoulder. Already blood was squeezing out through her fingers.

"Chase!" I called back for her, poking my head out from behind the box. He and Damian were the only guys left, all the others having either fled or been knocked unconscious. Damian looked around, realizing that he was the only one left, then ran for the door. I was not going to let him get away that easily after hurting my friend. Chase started after him, but I called him back. The bionic glanced at me, a hopeful expression in his eyes. "You deal with her, I'll deal with him!"

Without waiting for an answer, I sprinted after Damian. I followed him out through another emergency exit (or maybe this was the main entrance, either way, I didn't care) and onto the street. The sound of police sirens filled the air. He spun around, realizing it was hopeless and pointed his gun at me. I raised my hands to show him I was unarmed.

"Give up." I suggested. "Killing me will only make things worse."

Damian sneered. "You're pretty brave to follow me out here. Stupid, but brave."

"You hurt one of my best friends. I couldn't let you get away with that." I replied, eyes darting towards the door. Clearly, I hadn't thought this through. I was just a kid. What could I possibly do, aside from get myself killed?

Damian just laughed. "What are you going to do? Pick up a gun and shoot me?"

"No. but I'd love to see you get arrested for that." I snapped. "You shot the police chief's daughter; I doubt they're going to go easy on you."

His eyes narrowed. "Then I don't have anything to lose." And he pulled the trigger.

"No!" I shouted, raising my hands to my head. I knew they wouldn't do much in protection, but it was the best I had. My eyes slid shut, waiting for shot to come. It never did. I opened my eyes hesitantly, trying to figure out what had happened. What I saw only confused me.

Damian, his gun, and the bullet were floating midair. And not just like when Chase uses his telekinesis. They were floating as if they were in space, as if there was no gravity around them. I frowned, not yet dropping my hands, and looked around. I was the only one around.

"How are you doing that?" Damian demanded, trying to reach for his gun. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't reach it. I stared at the scene, wide-eyed.

"I'm not…I don't…how…" I dropped my hands and the gravity returned. Damian fell to the ground, hitting his head on the ground. He lay there, unmoving, but I was too shocked to care. I stared at my hands, trying to comprehend what was going on. Somehow, I'd removed the gravity around him. But how? I wasn't special. I wasn't bionic. I'd never done anything like this before…had I?

I tried to think, I really did. Had I used this ability before? An image flashed across my mind. I was standing in a dark room, all by myself except for one girl. The girl was shorter than me, with long soft brown hair and hazel eyes. For some reason, she seemed familiar.

Before I could ponder as to who she was or what the hell was happening, pain erupted in my head. It was like my previous headaches, but worse. Much, much worse. Too much to bear. The world seemed to spin for a moment, then I lost all track of time.

Chase's POV

"Calla!" I shouted, running to where Kieran had pushed her. She was okay, she had to be. She had to be alright.

"Chase." She moaned as I rounded the corner. She was propped up against the crate, breathing heavily. I let out a sigh of relief (for a second, I'd thought I'd lost her) and knelt down in front of her.

"Where are you hurt?" I demanded. She grimaced.

"Shoulder." She whimpered. A whimper. Calla never whimpered. Ever. I glanced at her shoulder and saw her partially red hand covering it. I grabbed her by her good arm and hauled her to her feet as gently as I could. She let out a cry, but was able to walk.

"You're going to be okay." I murmured, slipping my other hand around her waist to keep her from falling. She didn't answer, instead leaning her head against my shoulder. The second we exited the building, we were met by Bree.

"Guys, the cops just arrive…oh my God, Calla." She stared at her best friend, wide-eyed. I glared at her.

"Unless you're helping, Bree, get out of our way." I growled. My sister looked at me, then sped off.

"Cops? That means Mom." Calla murmured. I nodded encouragingly.

"Yeah, your mom's coming. Don't you worry." I assured her. I looked around for one of the officers. "Hey! We could use some help over here!"

One of them, Sanjay I think, ran over and helped me guide Calla to a car. He handed me a cloth as she sat down in the front seat. "Put pressure on her wound." He ordered before grabbing his radio. He started speaking into it, asking for an ambulance.

I did as he asked, trying to ignore the pained whimper that escaped my girlfriend as I put pressure on her blood shoulder. "You're going to be fine." I whispered to her. She nodded, then looked around.

"What happened to Damian?" She muttered, trying to spot him in the back of one of the cars. "I didn't see."

"Kieran went after him." I replied. Her eyes widened and she stared at me. "Calla?"

"You let him go after Damian alone?" She whispered, shocked. I nodded. "Are you crazy, Chase?"

"He's fine." I brushed her fears aside. She was still looking at me as if I was psycho.

"I'm sorry, but you let a fifteen year old kid, who's NOT bionic, go after an armed gunman?" She demanded. I suddenly felt guilty. "You're supposed to be the smart one!"

"I kinda had bigger things to worry about. Namely, you!" I objected. She looked like she was about to argue (only Calla could argue with someone after being shot) when her mom ran up.

"Oh God, sweetie are you alright?" Officer Parker demanded, pushing me out of the way. Not that I minded – Calla was more important anyway.

"Ow, Mom, watch the shoulder." Calla groaned as her mother hugged her.

"Oh, my sweet Calla Lily." She murmured. Calla groaned again, although this one seemed to be from annoyance rather than pain.

"I thought we'd agreed that you would stop calling me that." She murmured. Officer Parker let out a soft laugh, then looked at Officer Sanjay.

"James and Bert have got the prisoner in custody. Have you called an ambulance yet?" She demanded. Sanjay nodded.

"Yes m'am. They're on their way." To his credit, he ignored the anger in her tone. It was better not to upset a momma bear when one of her cubs was hurt – Tasha taught us all that a long time ago.

"Tell them we're going to need a second one." She instructed. Sanjay frowned, so she elaborated. "We've got more than one injured kid."

"Kieran?" I questioned, feeling guilty again. She nodded and Calla looked up at her.

"Is he okay?" She demanded. Officer Parker shrugged.

"He's unconscious, but I'd say he's fine." She replied.

"But you're not a doctor." Calla pointed out. Her mom nodded.

"And that's why I'm having one look at him, okay? I'm sure he'll be fine." She assured her daughter. Calla sighed and looked down, refusing to meet my gaze. I sighed as well. Even if Kieran was okay, she was going to kill me later for letting one of her friends – one she knew I didn't like – get injured.

Calla's POV

"Hey, how are you feeling?" I asked, poking my head into the visitor's room. Kieran was the only one left there, still waiting for his foster dad to pick him up. He shrugged, passing a bag of Tylenol between his hands.

"Fine. The doctors think I just fainted due to shock. The Tylenol's for my headaches." He replied. He gestured at the thick bandages on my shoulder. 'You okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It was just a graze. The doctor, I think his name is Jamie or something, gave me some pretty heavy-duty painkillers, but I'm free to go home as soon as my mom signs some papers. Good thing too – I've got school in the morning."

Kieran's lips twisted upwards in a smirk. "I think getting kidnapped and shot gives you the right to miss school for one day."

I shrugged, then instantly regretted the motion as pain shot through my shoulder. "Ow. Shrugging – bad idea. But I LIKE school, remember? I get to show off my big brain."

Kieran chuckled. "Quick question – do those painkillers have any side effects? Like making you act crazy?"

I thought about it. They probably did. But I wasn't acting crazy. "Speaking of crazy, what were you thinking going after Damian alone?"

"He hurt one of my friends." Kieran claimed grumpily. I laughed.

"Okay, I suppose protecting me is a decent excuse. But don't do something stupid like that again." I ordered. Seriously, I hated it when anyone put themselves in danger for me. Chase did it enough as it was – I didn't need some other idiot doing it too.

"Yes m'am." Kieran agreed, rubbing his head. I looked over my shoulder to see that my mom was almost done going through my papers. I sat down next to Kieran.

"Okay, no one will tell me anything, which is annoying. What happened to Damian?" I demanded. Kieran frowned.

"He got arrested." He replied, stating the obvious. I rolled my eyes.

"He was unconscious when they found him. What happened to him?" I repeated my question.

Kieran sighed. "I'm sorry, Calla. I don't remember anything aside from running after him." He apologized. I frowned.

"Nothing?" I questioned. He nodded.

"One minute I'm running after him, the next I'm waking up in the back of an ambulance." He replied. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "No, it's fine. I was just curious." I assured him.

"Calla." I looked up to see my mom standing by the door. "Chase is outside."

"I've got to go." I told Kieran. He smirked.

"Kiss your boyfriend goodnight for me." He teased. I pushed him playfully before getting up and heading out the door. Chase was indeed waiting for me. He was pacing the steps impatiently, glancing at the door every few seconds. His entire face lit up when he saw me.

"Calla!" He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw me, pulling me into his arms. "Don't scare me like that again."

"I'll be in the car." Mom called to me, giving us some alone time.

I nodded and pushed away from him. "You okay?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You're okay." He murmured the last part, as if he was still trying to convince himself of it. "That's the most important part."

"Why aren't you at home? Or inside the waiting room?" I questioned. "Do we really want another kidnapping?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay. Tasha's only a couple of minutes away." He assured me. I frowned.

"And what's wrong with the waiting room?" I inquired. Chase wouldn't meet my gaze, so I knew he was avoiding something. "Chase."

"I didn't like being in there with him." He muttered. I put my good hand on my hip, knowing exactly who 'he' was.

"Why not? What do you have against Kieran?" I demanded. Chase sighed and crossed his arms.

"There's something not right about him, Cal." He told me. "Seriously, he's just…wrong."

"Wrong." I repeated. Chase nodded.

"Yeah, there's something about him that doesn't seem right. He's keeping something from us – I can feel it." He insisted.

"He saved my life, Chase!" I exclaimed. Chase gave me a look. It wasn't his usual, give-me-a-break look. No, it was his how-can-you-be-that-stupid look that he usually reserved only for Adam and occasionally Leo.

"And then he randomly passes out after chasing the guy who tried to kill you? Does that make any sense to you? At all?" He demanded.

"The poor boy was traumatized!" I argued. Chase shook his head at me.

"He claims that he doesn't remember what happened to Damian, but the guy was knocked out cold, Calla! Cracked skull! How did that happen?" Chase questioned. I shrugged one shoulder.

"How am I supposed to know?" I questioned. Chase sighed.

"You need to stop hanging out with him, Calla." He told me. I opened my mouth to tell him to shut up, but he didn't give me the chance. "I'm serious Calla. He's bad news."

"How is the guy who just SAVED MY LIFE bad news?" I demanded, thinking that Chase had finally lost it. He glared at me.

"He just is." He growled. I laughed darkly.

"Like Caleb is?" I inquired. Chase nodded.

"Yeah, like Caleb is. Seriously Calla, you make the worst choices possible for your friends. First there's the psycho, Kaitlin. Then there's that asshole Caleb. And then there's Kieran, whom you know nothing about, yet you seem to trust him as much as the rest of us!" He exclaimed.

"Oh, so they're bad news simply because you don't like them?" I questioned.

"Yes, Calla! They are!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "So stop being so stupid and just listen to me for once!"

There was a moment of stunned silence as we both processed what he just said. Chase paled.

"Calla, I didn't-" I shook my head.

"Oh, shut up, Chase!" I shouted back, angry tears coming to my eyes. "I'm sick and tired of you telling me what to do lately!"

"Calla-" Chase tried to explain himself, but I wasn't done speaking.

"No! I'm serious, Chase. You don't get to control me! I make my own decisions on what I do, who I hang out with and who I…" I broke off, trying to make the right decision. After everything that had happened to the two of us, was I really going to do this? Had Chase finally crossed that line? Was I really ready to say that it was over?

"And who I what, Calla?" Chase questioned, his tone angry. I looked at him, praying that I looked as angry as I felt.

"And who I'm with. And after today…" I let out an angry breath. "After today, I'm done."

"Done?" Chase repeated, confused. "Done with what?"

"Done with you." I told him, staring him straight in the eyes. "We're through, Chase. I'm breaking up with you."

I started to storm off to my mom's car, but Chase grabbed my good arm to stop me. "Calla, I-"

"No, don't bother." I snapped, not turning to face him. "Goodbye Chase."

I pulled my arm out of his reach and walked away, still not entirely sure if I'd made the right decision.


	25. Spike Fight

Chase's POV

Okay, when Calla broke up for me, I thought it was just because she was upset and emotional and still freaked out about what happened. I mean, who could blame her? I figured that as soon as she calmed down, she would realize that she'd made a mistake and come back to me. Evidently, I was wrong.

Three days later and Calla still wasn't talking to me. Whenever she was down in the lab working, she'd completely ignore me, but chat happily with Adam, Bree, and Leo. She wasn't returning any of my calls or texts, and she was hanging out with Kieran and Caleb even more than usual. Heck, she'd even gone as far as to pick Adam over me to be her partner for the new science project. Adam, of all people!

"She chose Adam?" Jaden demanded, sitting down next to Bree at the lunch table. I nodded and glanced over my shoulder to look at Calla's table. She was sitting there with Kieran and Caleb, laughing at something the latter said.

"Yep." Adam confirmed, grinning. "I'm totally going to get an A."

"That's only because she's likely going to do all the work for you." Leo reminded him. He nodded.

"I know, isn't it great?" He asked, taking a bite of his burger. I groaned in defeat.

"She hates me." I complained. Jaden shook his head.

"My sister doesn't hate you." He assured me. "Trust me on that."

"How would you know?" I questioned, looking at him. Jaden smirked.

"When someone Calla hates pisses her off, she's only upset for a couple of hours before she moves on. She claims that they're not worth her anger. But when someone she cares about upsets her, she'll stay mad at them for a long, LONG time." He explained. I nodded thoughtfully. That sounded like my Calla.

"You're sure?" I asked, just to be sure. Jaden nodded.

"Yeah. I remember one time I accidently let my pet tarantula get loose in her bedroom and she gave me the silent treatment for an entire two weeks." He replied. Bree frowned.

"You have a pet tarantula?" She questioned. Jaden shook his head.

"Not anymore. Mom made me give it away years ago." He replied. She laughed.

"Aww, but we could have so much fun with it. I guess we'll have to settle for Glitch." Bree sighed, not unhappily. She adored that dog more than words could say. "You're coming over later to help me give him a bath, right?"

Jaden nodded eagerly. "Yes, but I'm telling you now that I'm probably going to push you into the water."

"Oh, really?" She questioned, smirking deviously at them. By that point, I wasn't particularly listening anymore. They were a good couple and all, but I didn't really need to hear all the flirty stuff right now. So, I turned to the only other one of us without a girlfriend – Adam.

"What are you doing?" I questioned, noticing how he kept glancing at someone over my shoulder.

"That girl, Sabrina, keeps checking me out." He commented. Leo looked over my head to take a look.

"She's cute – you should ask her out." He suggested. Adam shrugged.

"Nah. I'm not sure I want a new girl so soon after Jessica." He replied. His eyes widened a bit. "She's coming over. Hey Sabrina."

A pretty blonde girl walked up, smiling. "Hey Adam." She turned to me. "Hey Chase."

"Hi?" I replied, wondering where this was going. Most girls didn't talk to me unless they were one of Calla's friends or they wanted an autograph.

"I wanted to talk to you about our chemistry project." She continued. I nodded. Ah yes, this had happened hundreds of times before.

"Sure, I'll do it for you." I agreed. "Just give me your email. I'll send it to you when I'm done."

She laughed lightly. "No, I want to do the project with you." I choked on my drink, surprised. "I need a partner, and Calla Parker's doing hers with Adam, I figured we could do it together."

Everyone at the table seemed stunned, while my mind was racing. Usually, I would say no. I mean, Calla was my partner in crime. Why would I work with anyone else? It just seemed unnatural, and to be honest, quite redundant.

But this was also an opportunity. I mean, how would Calla feel about me hanging out with other girls? I knew how badly she reacted to Skylar, maybe Sabrina would make her jealous too. Maybe she'd get jealous enough to want me back!

"Chase, this is when you speak." Bree said, dragging me out of my thoughts. I must not have spoken for a bit, because everyone was looking at me expectantly.

I looked back at Sabrina, then glanced at Calla's table. To my satisfaction, she was glancing our way, having noticed Sabrina's approach. "Yeah, that sounds great." I agreed, loud enough for most of the people in the cafeteria to hear. "Would you like to meet at my house after school?"

"Perfect." Sabrina grinned before walking back to her table. I grinned broadly, quite pleased with myself. Calla was going to be at our house later – she might be mad at me, but she still had to work – so it would only be a matter of time before she got frustrated with seeing me with Sabrina. We'd be back together before no time.

"Chase, really?" Adam looked at me, a disapproving look on his face. I smirked.

"Really." I replied, grabbing my stuff. I started to walk away, but not before saying hello to Calla.

"Hey Calla, don't worry about us not being partners." I told the brunette as I passed her table. "I think I found your replacement."

"Good for you, Chase." She replied, her tone cold. Yep, this plan was going to work like a charm.

Xxx

"Hey, Mr. Davenport!" I called, running into the lab. I found him working at the main consol, likely doing repairs after Adam broke it yesterday.

"Oh, hi Chase. How was school?" He inquired, not glancing up.

"Great, I need a favour." I replied, getting straight to the point. That caused him to look at me.

"I'm not giving you money." He growled. I frowned.

"It has nothing to do with money." I assured him. He sighed in relief.

"Leo and Bree have been beginning me for money all week." He explained, leaning against the consol. "So what can I do for you?"

"Calla can't be allowed to work in the lab tonight." I replied. He frowned, so I elaborated. "I need her to work on the main floor."

"Why?" Mr. Davenport questioned. I shrugged unhelpfully and he raised an eyebrow. "Wait, this isn't an attempt to get her back, is it?"

I nodded guiltily. "Alright, sure. I'll tell her the lab is off limits." He agreed. I looked at him, pleased but surprised.

"Really?" I asked. He nodded, going back to his work on the consol.

"You've both been off your game since your break up and I need my top two geniuses at their best." He told me. I raised an eyebrow, knowing that he was trying to hide the fact that he actually cared. I sighed.

"Thanks Mr. Davenport!" I called over my shoulder as I ran upstairs to get ready for my date.

Adam's POV

"What do you mean I'm not allowed in the lab?" I heard Calla demand as I walked into my house. Mr. Davenport was standing in front of the lab doors, his arms crossed.

"I'm sorry Calla. I need to do a bacteria sweep. Adam," he nodded at me, "brought his mouldy gym socks back and if any of that bacteria gets into the inventions, it will cause all sorts of problems."

Calla groaned in frustration. "Is there anywhere else I can work then? I won't be able to work out here with Chase and Sabrina chatting all night."

"Sabrina?" Mr. Davenport repeated. I nodded, stepping in.

"She's Chase's new science partner." I explained. He nodded, a look of understand crossing his face. I think we all knew exactly what was going through Chase's tiny pea-sized head. But still, Mr. Davenport wouldn't back down.

"I'm sorry Calla. I'll let you leave an hour early though, if you wish." He offered. She glowered at him, but nodded.

"Fine. Whatever." She tossed her backpack onto the kitchen counter and I sat down next to her.

"Chase wants to make you jealous." I informed her. She nodded.

"Yes Adam, I know." She agreed. She groaned again. "I swear sometimes, that boy makes me so…"

She broke off, annoyed. Then sighed. "So, if I'm gonna be stuck up here, do you want to work on our science project? I ain't doing all the work."

I nodded. "Alright."

It wasn't because I wanted to work on the project. I really didn't, and I was fairly confident that no matter what Calla says, she was going to do all the work anyway. But I wasn't going to stand by and let Chase be mean to Calla by trying to make her jealous. He was always going on about what was right and wrong and now he was being a total…um…he was doing the opposite of what he said.

Chase's POV

I beamed when Sabrina and I walked into the house to find Calla and Adam in the kitchen. Calla was working on some model volcano for their science project (Adam's idea, guaranteed) and my brother was doodling on a piece of paper.

"Oh, hi Adam and, uh, Calla, right?" Sabrina asked. They both glanced up at us.

"Yeah, hi." Calla greeted. Adam nodded at us, then pushed his picture towards Calla. She covered her mouth with her hand, giggling.

"Adam, that's mean!" She told him. I frowned.

"What is?" I asked. They both exchanged looks as Calla crumpled the paper.

"Nothing." They said in unison. Sabrina smiled and turned to me.

"So, project time?" She asked. I nodded and sat down in front of the living room table and opened my bag. She sat down next to me and we began to work. And by work, I mean I built a molecular model and did my best to flirt with Sabrina the entire time. But half an hour later, and it still seemed like Adam was the only person paying attention. Calla was completely tuning us out, much to my annoyance.

"I can't believe how fast you're put this molecular model together." Sabrina grinned at me.

"I can't believe Calla hasn't even said anything." I muttered. Sabrina looked at me.

"What?" she asked, confused. I smiled at her.

"I mean, I can't believe you're still here." I replied. She beamed.

"You know what I like about you?" She asked. "Besides being charming and funny?"

"Well, it would have to something else because it's neither of those." Adam called. I glared at him, then turned back to Sabrina.

"You're nice, polite, and even though you're bionic, you don't feel the need to impress me with your muscles." She said. That caught Calla's attention.

"Muscles?" She repeated before ducking her head, her body shaking as she laughed. Adam chuckled as well.

"He doesn't have any." He mentioned. I took a deep breath, then smiled at Sabrina.

"Will you excuse me for a second? I need to talk to my brother." I explained. She nodded and I grabbed Adam by the arm, dragging him into the hall, away from both of the girls.

"What are you doing?" I demanded. He crossed his arms and looked at me.

"I could ask you the same thing." He commented. I frowned.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"You're using Skylar to make Calla jealous." He growled. I nodded.

"Obviously." I replied. He rolled his eyes.

"That's wrong." He told me. I groaned.

"What I do is none of your business, so just leave it alone!" I snapped before walking back to Sabrina. "Sorry about Adam. What do you say we get back to our atom?"

She laughed, but I heard an annoyed groan in the background. I noticed Calla stand up. "Everything alright, Calla?" I asked. She faked a smile my way.

"Perfect. I just need to run out for a few moments to get some stuff from my place." She replied, in a falsely sweet voice. She looked at Adam. "Want to take a ten minute break?"

"Sure." He agreed. She nodded stiffly and walked out the door, slamming it as she left.

"I wonder what she's upset about." Sabrina wondered aloud. I smiled. My plan was totally working.

Adam's POV

I crossed my arms, glaring at the lab floor. This didn't make sense! Chase was supposed to be the nice and sensitive one! How was I the only one noticing how much he was hurting Calla?

"Hey Adam." Mr. Davenport greeted, walking into the lab. "Can you explain to me why Chase has a girl in the house? A girl that's not Calla?"

"He's trying to make Calla jealous." I explained. He nodded.

"Ah. Got it." He replied. "Still, how he convinced a real girl to come over is beyond me. I had to shake her hand to make sure she wasn't a hologram."

"I'm confused." I complained. Mr. Davenport looked at me.

"Since when is that new?" He questioned. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Alright, what's up?"

"Why does Chase get to hurt Calla like that?" I demanded. "I mean, you don't see me doing something like that to Jessica, so why should he be allowed to do that to her?"

Mr. Davenport seemed a little surprised by my outburst. "Wow, you're really upset they broke up, aren't you?"

"Well, Calla's supposed to be the sister-in-law that will give me money and encourage my dangerous pranks of awesomeness. I mean, she's already agreed to change our model volcano to a nacho cheese volcano." I replied. "Besides, she's family."

Mr. Davenport smiled. "Yeah, Calla is the only person who would encourage those stunts." He agreed. "But Adam, this is really none of our business."

"But it's not right!" I protested. Mr. Davenport nodded.

"I know, but Chase needs to figure that out for himself. Besides, for all we know, he'll get nervous and mess it up with both of them." He assured me. A light bulb went off above my head.

"That's right." I agreed, grinning. "He could get nervous and mess it up."

Mr. Davenport gave me a look. "Adam, don't get involved."

My smirk didn't fade. "Oh don't worry. I won't do anything."

I ran off then, ready to get rid of Sabrina in a very, very amusing way.

Chase's POV

"It's beautiful." Sabrina beamed, looking at our project in awe. "And it only took us four hours to finish it."

"Actually, it was three hours and forty-seven minutes. Or thirteen thousand, six hundred and twenty seconds." I added. She gave me a weird look and I sighed. Calla always found it amusing. "Four hours is good."

She laughed a little, nodding. Calla, meanwhile, groaned loudly to remind us both that she was in the room. I smiled at Sabrina.

"So, I'll see you at school on Monday?" I asked.

"Well, yeah, but I don't have to go home right away." Sabrina replied. I nodded.

"Oh, you want to do Monday's homework too." I realized. Sabrina shook her head.

"No, I was hoping I could just hang out." She told me. I nodded eagerly – this would drive Calla nuts.

"Yeah, hang out, sure. I keep forgetting that unlike a certain brunette, you actually like being around me." I replied. I glanced over at Calla to see her reaction. She had stopped what she was doing, but remained with her back towards me. Dang. I'd been hoping for something along the lines of 'Chase, I do like hanging out with you and I'm sorry I got mad at you for trying to protect me'.

Sabrina ignored my comment about Calla and sat down on the couch. I smiled at her. "I'll get us some snacks." I offered. She nodded and I ran off to the kitchen.

"Hey Calla, what do you think Sabrina would prefer? Doritos or pretzels?" I asked, grabbing the two bags out from the cupboard. Calla refused to look at me. "What? I thought we were done with the silent treatment."

"Hey Chase, how's it going?" Adam asked, stepping into the conversation. I opened my mouth to reply, but he didn't give me the chance. "Great. Give us a moment, Calla?"

He grabbed me by the shirt and pushed me into the hall. "Knock it off, Chase."

"Adam, this is none of your business." I snapped, looking back at the two lovely ladies. He nodded.

"It is when you hurt Calla." He argued. "The last person to hurt her really badly was Caleb. And I broke his nose."

I could tell that he was trying to threaten me while being subtle. But although I knew Adam adored Calla like a sister, he wouldn't actually break my nose. Besides, I wasn't hurting Calla. Just annoying her a bit. "Look Adam, I need to get Calla back."

"And this is the way to do it?" He countered. I nodded.

"It's the only thing I can think of that might send her back to me." I growled. He gave me a look and I sighed. "I can't lose her, Adam. Calla means everything to me."

I pushed away from him, grabbed the bag of Doritos, poured them in a bowl, and walked back over to Sabrina.

"What did Adam want?" She asked curiously. I shook my head.

"Nothing much." I replied, hoping Adam would just drop it. He didn't.

"Hey Sabrina!" Adam called cheerfully, entering the kitchen. He grabbed Calla by the arm and led her over to the living room. He pushed her onto the couch next to Sabrina. "Would you like to hear a story?"

Sabrina frowned, then glanced at Calla. She shrugged helplessly, just as confused as Sabrina. But I had a good idea where this was going and I didn't like it.

"No, she doesn't, Adam. Why don't you and Calla go finish your project?"

"Yes, let's." Calla agreed, starting to get up.

"Sit." Adam ordered, his tone leaving no room for discussion. Calla was too surprised by his tone to argue and sat back down, crossing her ankles. "Now Sabrina, are you aware that Chase and Calla used to go out?"

"You did?" Sabrina looked at the two of us. "I thought you were just best friends or something."

"Or something." I agreed, glaring at Adam. If he said what I thought he was going to say…

"Are you also aware that he only invited you over here to make her jealous? That's why he was being so nice to you and so mean to her." Adam continued. While Calla merely shook her head at my brother, Sabrina looked shocked and hurt.

"Chase, is this true?" She demanded.

"I…uh…" I trailed off. I hated being caught in a lie. Calla let out a sigh and stood up abruptly.

"You know what? I'm out of here. Adam, I will finish the project myself. All you have to do is show up when we present it on Monday. Sabrina, congrats on the A+ I'm sure you're going to get. Chase…" She gave me a look that was filled with disappointment, and something else I couldn't identify. I thought that maybe it was hurt, but Calla was tougher than letting a few little words hurt her, right? "Clearly, me continuing to work as Mr. Davenport's assistant is not going to work. First thing in the morning, I'm going to request a transfer to work in his main labs instead."

No. This was not how it was supposed to go down. Now Adam was all smug, Sabrina was upset, and by transferring to one of Mr. Davenport's labs, Calla was cutting me off completely. But I couldn't lose her! No…

I began to panic, my brain racing to find a solution. If this was math, I'd already have solved the problem. If this was an invention, I would have already fixed the malfunction. But this was Calla, the most confusion and complicated person I knew. What was I going to do?

Then, something happened. Evidently, my fear and panic at the thought of losing my Calla forever had activated my commando app. I saw the words COMMANDO APP ACTIVATED and then everything went black.

Calla's POV

I stood up, having had enough of all this.

"You know what? I'm out of here. Adam, I will finish the project myself. All you have to do is show up when we present it on Monday. Sabrina, congrats on the A+ I'm sure you're going to get. Chase…" I looked at Chase, hurt. I didn't think he would do something like this. I mean, I could understand why he would want to hurt me – I hurt him after all – but bringing Sabrina into this was just wrong. I took a deep breath, knowing that if I came to work here every day, things between us would only get worse. "Clearly, me continuing to work as Mr. Davenport's assistant is not going to work. First thing in the morning, I'm going to request a transfer to work in his main labs instead."

Chase stared at me for a moment, then at Sabrina, panic clear in his eyes. He'd been caught and he knew it. I had started to walk out when something in the atmosphere shifted. I could just feel that something was wrong.

"WHO THE HECK ARE YOU, GOLDILOCKS?!" I froze, recognizing Spike's voice instantly. As if tonight couldn't get any worse. I spun around to see Spike glaring at a very confused Sabrina. Adam, on the other hand, looked very, very pleased.

"He's back!" He sang in a low voice. Sabrina looked at him, confused.

"Who's back?" She asked, nervous. She looked at Spike. "What's going on?"

"Spike confused." Spike said. He looked at me. "You the one Spiky likey. Who's she?"

Evidently, Spike had not gotten the memo on the break up. Even better (note the sarcasm).

Spike let out a fearsome growl and flexed his muscles, clearly trying to seem impressive. Adam was chuckling to himself, while Sabrina looked pretty freaked out. I could remember a similar look on my face when I had my first ever encounter with Spike. Not fun.

"Sabrina?" I called, not wanting to draw Spike's attention to her. Normally, Chase would never hurt anyone, but Spike was a loose cannon. "You may want to back away."

"I don't underst-" She was cut off by Spike.

"I don't know which of you ladies lives here, but it could really do with a man's touch." He growled before grabbing one of the chairs and tossing it to the other side of the room. We all stared at him. "What's the matter?"

He stomped towards the fridge, ripping the door off and tossing it towards the chair. Then he proceeded to rip through the contents of the refridgerator to find something suitable to eat."

"What's wrong with him?" Sabrina demanded, watching as he threw random vegetables over his shoulder.

"What is wrong with him?" Adam laughed gleefully. "The guy is a total mess."

Sabrina didn't argue. "Adam!" I scolded before turning to the blonde haired girl. "It's a long story Sabrina, one we really don't have time for right now. All you need to know is that right now, Chase is not in control of his actions. Also, he will only answer to Spike."

"Why?" Sabrina demanded. Adam turned to look at me.

"C'mon, don't ruin this Calla. Let him make a fool of himself." He urged me. "He deserves it."

"HEY!" We all spun around at the sound of Spike's furious call. He pointed at Adam. "Back off, pretty boy! That's daddy's kitten!"

I wasn't sure whether to be flattered or offended. I blinked twice, trying to wrap my head around what was going on, then crossed my arms. "I ain't nobody's nothing, you got that Spiky?"

"Fiesty." Spike nodded, smirking. "You're cute when you're feisty."

I was a little too surprised to respond. I figured that once Chase realized we were over, Spike would too. That's how it should have worked, so why was he still acting as if he thought I was still his girl?

"I said, back off pretty boy." Spike growled to Adam, having noticed that Adam was still close to me. Adam stepped away and looked at Spike in amusement.

"Trust me, you don't want to do this." Adam advised.

"You're right." Spike agreed. "It'd be rude to make the ladies watch me rip out your intestines. Which is why we're going to do it over there!"

He looked past Adam and at me. "Check this out, toots. And other girl."

He grabbed Adam by the shirt, but the older boy raised a hand and laughed. No, Adam. You don't laugh at Spike. Not unless you'd like to wear your intestines as a headband. "You think you can throw me across the room?" Adam chuckled, clearly unaware of the warning look on my face. "Good luck with-" Spike threw Adam across the room, "-THAT!"

Sabrina gasped as Adam hit the ground with a groan. I just stared at Spike, not amused. He saw my frown then flexed, grinning as if he thought it would please me. It did not.

"Hey!" Adam jumped to his feet, angry. Spike spun around and charged at him. I grabbed Sabrina's arm.

"Now would be a good time to leave." I suggested. She nodded, but as we started to make our escape, a chair was thrown across the room.

"Don't leave yet, princess! The fun's just getting started!" Spike called after me. Sabrina glanced at me.

"They're not going to let us leave, are they?" She sounded scared. I let out an annoyed sigh and plopped myself down behind the safety of the couch.

"Nope, might as well get comfortable." I muttered, watching as the boys reached for the nearest and heaviest objects to throw at each other. Ten minutes later, and they'd need to replace the dining room table, all the chairs, the TV, Mr. Davenport's main floor desk chair, and several other household objects.

"Hey! Let's play catch!" Spike suggested, grabbing a plate. "I'll throw, and you catch – with your face!"

Adam ducked behind the wall seconds before the plate would have hit him. It flew past and crashed into the banister, as did all the other plates. Finally having enough, Adam shot a ray of heat vision at Spike.

Spike ducked under it, then threw a vase at Adam in retaliation. It missed and Adam sent another blast of heat vision Spike's way. He did a back flip over it, did a summersault on the ground, and grabbed a pan. He held it up just in time to block Adam's third round of heat vision. He hit Adam in the face with the frying pan, kicking him in the stomach, the hit him in the back with the frying pan once more.

"Ouch." I mumbled sympathetically as Adam stumbled back towards us. Spike didn't hesitate before charging at Adam and pinning him against the nearby wall. Adam tried to fight back, but Spike only lifted him off his feet.

"Guys, please stop!" Sabrina begged, although it was probably going to be in vain. "You're scaring me."

"Kinda with her on that one." I agreed. Spike glanced at me.

"Don't worry sweetheart, it will all be over soon. Unless you want him to suffer. Whatever the lady wants." He offered. I stared at him incredulously.

"Why couldn't you say something like that last week when we were fighting?" I questioned. He dropped Adam, then smashed a vase over said boy's back.

"Oh…okay. That hurt." Adam admitted, groaning in pain. Spike let out a growl, but Adam was the first to attack. I barely had time to jump out of the way as they both went tumbling over the couch. They rolled over, hitting the table that Chase and Sabrina's project was on.

"Don't break the molecule!" Sabrina pleaded. Both boys stopped and looked at it.

"That was close." Adam muttered. Spike nodded.

"Sure was." He agreed before grabbing the molecule and ripping it apart. We all watched, surprised. We didn't think Spike would ever purposefully destroy something of Chase's.

"No! Why would you do that?" Sabrina cried in despair.

"Relax blondie, I'll make you a new one. Out of his spine." Spike flexed again, but Sabrina was not interested in watching.

"You are so not who I thought you were." She stated before grabbing her bag. "I'm out of here."

She walked out the door. I sighed. If Sabrina went around the school, telling people that Chase was a monster, it would reflect badly upon everyone. Besides, he did not deserve to get hated for something that was Spike's fault.

"Adam," I turned to face the older boy. I gestured at the half-destroyed room. "Deal with this. I'm leaving."

"You'll come back!" Spike called after me as I opened the door. He looked at Adam. "They always come back."

With an annoyed sighed, I stepped outside and slammed the door behind me. Then it occurred to me. Spike was right. I could go back. Maybe Chase and I could talk this out. Maybe we could try to make things work.

No. I shook my head to clear it. I broke up with Chase for a reason. I couldn't back down.

As I started to leave, I heard Spike say from inside, "She's not coming back, is she?"

No, she wasn't.

Chase's POV

I looked around, confused. The entire main floor had been trashed. My science fair project was destroyed. Both Calla and Sabrina were gone, leaving only me and Adam. What was going on?

"The molecule…what happened in here?" I demanded. "Where are Sabrina and Calla?"

Then it dawned on me. My commando app. "Oh no. Did Spike show up?"

Adam looked at me. "So you don't remember anything?" I shook my head. "Not even throwing me across the room?"

"No." I'd thrown him across the room? Hmm, I'd have to ask Calla about that…oh wait. She wasn't talking to me right now.

"Good, because it never happened." Adam told me, starting to leave. I stopped him.

"Wait!" I called. "You activated me commando app on purpose, didn't you?"

"Of course I did! Look who you're talking to." He snapped. I looked at him, annoyed.

"Why would you do that?" I demanded. Seriously, things were working out. It wasn't going to be long before Calla came back to me.

"Because you couldn't see how much you were hurting Calla." Adam told me. I looked at him, about to object. But he didn't give me the chance. "Things like 'I keep forgetting that unlike a certain brunette, you actually like being around me'? Did you really think that she wouldn't be hurt by stuff like that?"

"Why do you care?" I growled, crossing my arms. Maybe he was right. Maybe I did cross the line…a tiny bit.

Adam took a long time to think about his answer. "If I thought that I could get Jessica back by making her jealous, I would try too. But I can't hurt someone I love."

I frowned, a little caught off guard. "You loved Jessica?"

He nodded. "Of course I did. What's not to love?" He asked. I was surprised. I didn't think their relationship was that deep yet. And Jessica had completely stopped talking to him…I'd totally underestimated how badly he'd been hurt.

"Adam…" I trailed off, not sure what to say.

"Look, I know you love Calla. And maybe you guys still have a chance to be together. But that won't happen if you try to make her jealous." He told me. I blinked a couple of times, taking that in.

"That…" I struggled for the words. "I think that was the best advice you've ever given me."

"Yeah, well don't get used to it." Adam told me. He looked around. "So, do you want to come up with an excuse we can tell Mr. Davenport and Tasha?"

Calla's POV

"Hey, Sabrina!" I called, running after the blonde as she jogged away from the Davenport house. She slowed to a stop at the end of the road. "Damn, you're fast. Have you ever considered joining the track team?"

She bit her lip, stopping the smirk that came to her. I chuckled. "Before you start freaking out-"

"I started freaking out an hour ago." She informed me.

"Can you just let me explain?" I questioned. She sighed, then nodded.

"Years and years ago, Chase was given something called a Commando App. Basically, when he gets nervous or threatened or too angry, it activates." I began. Sabrina nodded to show that she was following. "The Commando App sort takes control of him. It turns him from a sweet, sensitive gentleman to a rage filled monster that's gone head to head with Principal Perry a couple of times."

"And he likes to be called Spike?" Sabrina asked, confused. I nodded.

"Yeah, I think it was Mr. Davenport who started it." I tried to remember. I shrugged. "It just makes it easier for us to decide who is who. Chase is our Chase. Spike is Commando App Chase."

"Got it." Sabrina nodded. "And our Chase has no control over him?"

"Well, they seem to have some influence over each other. I mean, you saw how Spike didn't bother with us. Chase has gotten into fights with Adam loads of times, but he would never hurt either of us." I explained. Sabrina smiled.

"And why he was trying to flirt with you." She added. I groaned.

"God, I can't believe Spike called me his 'kitten'." I complained. Sabrina laughed.

"I thought it was cute." She offered. I groaned again in annoyance. She rolled her eyes. "Okay, so why did you guys break up anyway? It had to be something big."

I sighed, but explained it. How Chase had told me to stay away from Caleb, then Kieran, our argument, how I left him. Surprisingly, Sabrina was a good listener. And a good friend.

"And that's what happened." I finished. "He was getting to be controlling, and I didn't want that in our relationship."

"It sounded more like he was trying to protect you." Sabrina told me. I looked at her.

"From my friends?" I questioned. She shrugged.

"Boys sometimes don't think these things through." She joked. "And with all the danger in Chase's life already, I don't think it would be too surprising for him to be overprotective of the people he loves."

I sighed. "I suppose. But Kieran and Caleb had my back when I needed them. Why can't he understand that?"

"Chase is jealous of Caleb." She replied matter-of-factly. I frowned and she rolled her eyes. "C'mon! It's obvious. Caleb is one of the best looking guys in our school. His family is rich. And when he's not doing stupid things, he's pretty nice. And he's been spending quite a bit of time with you."

"And what about Kieran?" I questioned, not wanting to admit that she might be right. Sabrina shrugged.

"I don't know about him." She admitted. "But think of it this way: what if someone at our school gave you 'bad vibes' and you told Chase to stop hanging out with him?"

"Well, to be fair, the one time I told him not to hang out with someone, that someone tried to kill all of us." I pointed out. Sabrina looked confused, but chose to ignore it.

"Look, all I'm saying is, give him another chance. I think he really needs you." Sabrina told me before heading off to her house. "Think about it!"

I sighed, standing there. What was I going to do?


	26. Crime Investigators

Bree's POV

I sighed, getting into the lunch line. Today was Thursday, which meant it was left-over day. Usually, our school had some pretty decent food to eat for lunch, but by the time Friday rolled around, all we had left was slop.

"Hi." I greeted Flo the lunch lady as I moved up in line. She rolled her eyes at me, clearly not wanting to be friendly. She wasn't the only one in a bad mood either.

"You double-crossed me for the last time, Flo!" Perry exclaimed, storming towards the lunch lady. "First, I catch you smuggling fish sticks in your pantyhose, and then you think you can walk all over me just because you look debonair in a hairnet?!"

With an annoyed huff, Perry walked away. Flo plopped a scoop of slop onto my plate. I grimaces, lifting a very, very long hair from it.

"Wow, I guess the hairnet is just for show." I commented, tossing the hair aside. I sat down at the table next to Jaden and Leo. "Okay, heads up. Stay away from Principal Perry."

"Trust me; that's the first thing I tell myself every morning when I wake up." Leo agreed. Jaden chuckled.

"Not going to argue with you there." He said. He looked over at Perry and Flo. "What's Perry's problem today?"

"What's the matter, Flo?" We heard Perry demand. "Nervous? You should be! One more mess up and I will take you out!"

Perry spun around and noticed our stares. "What are you looking at?!"

"You keep asking me that question and I'm still not sure I can give you an honest answer." Leo admitted.

"Mind your own business! If I wanted to be stared at all day, I'd still be a model for Bert's Chainsaws!" She let out a chainsaw-like sound and walked.

"…okay." Jaden said after a moment. He looked at me. "I swear she gets scarier every day."

I nodded. "I know, right?"

Leo nodded and there was a moment of silence. Then Jaden turned to me. "So Bree, can you please explain to me what happened last week at your house? Calla said that Spike and Adam made a mess of things."

"Yeah they did." Leo agreed. "Mom looked like she was ready to kill them."

"Adam's grounded." I informed Jaden. "Chase…well, since it wasn't his fault that Spike came out, Mr. Davenport let him off the hook. But he still had to help clean everything up." Jaden nodded.

"Just curious." He replied, taking a bite of his slop. He grimace and quickly spit in back onto the tray. "Okay, that's definitely not edible."

I pushed my tray away, trusting his judgement. "So, did you guys hear about the winter formal?"

Jaden nodded. "Oh yeah, that's next week right?" I nodded. "Remind me and I'll buy our tickets tomorrow."

"Hey, do you think we could convince Calla and Chase to go together?" Leo suggested. I glanced at Jaden. Chase would definitely go for it, but Calla…

"Yeah, I was meaning to ask. Where are we on the whole get-Challa-back-together mission?" I asked. Jaden shrugged helplessly.

"Well, Chase came over to talk to her last night. He was trying to convince her not to ask for a position change or something like that. Anyway, there was a lot of yelling, then Calla kicked him out and locked herself in her room for the rest of the night." He told us. "But on the upside, at least they're communicating."

Jaden's POV

"And another thing! I'm sick of carrying the weight around here! You're useless!" Perry shouted. I'd been standing at the cafeteria doors for a whole twenty minutes now, listening to Perry and Flo argue. It was crazy.

"What are you doing?" Leo and Bree walked up behind me.

"Shh!" I hissed at them, not wanting to alert the two adults to my eavesdropping. "Perry's yelling at Flo again. It's getting ugly."

"You've disobeyed me for the last time! I make the rules around here and if you can't follow them, then I'm going to put an end to this right now!" We watched as Perry and Flo's shadows moved in front of the glass. It was impossible to see through the glass, but we could see their shadows easily. Perry's shadow raised what appeared to be a large mallet and swung down. It hit Flo's shadow and it fell away from our view.

We watched in horror as Perry continued to beat Flo, eyes wide and mouths open in shock. Leo turned to us.

"Did we just…did you just…did she just…!" He broke off, unable to say it.

"I think she just killed Flo." Bree exclaimed, a hint of panic in her voice.

"Oh no! It's all over me!" We heard Perry exclaim. "I better go clean this up."

We darted behind a nearby garbage can, hiding from the murderer. We watched Perry, now covered in something wet and sticky, walked towards her office. "Great, my favourite pantsuit." She complained before re-examining her clothes. "The waist area is still good. I can turn it into shorts!"

She grinned, running into her office. The three of us slowly got up and exchanged terrified glances. I couldn't believe that Perry just killed Flo!

"What do we do?" Bree looked at me. I hesitated.

"Normally, I'd tell mom, but she's out of town for the weekend." I muttered. I could see that both Bree and Leo were freaking out. I was too, but I was a little better at hiding it. "Okay, first of all, we get out of here before she turns those things into shorts. Then we'll figure something out."

They both nodded and we fled from the school, not daring to look back.

xxx

"Mr. Davenport, Mr. Davenport!" Bree screamed as we ran into the lab. He looked up, confused by our terrified appearances. "You won't believe what just happened!"

"I know. I didn't believe it at first, but Adam really did get an A on his science project. Although, I'm pretty sure Calla did most of the work."

"No, it's Principal Perry!" Leo exclaimed. Mr. Davenport's expression quickly turned to one of concern.

"Why? Did something happen to her?" He asked worriedly. Then, not wanting to admit that he actually cared about the woman, he added, "I mean, I'm fine either way, but…"

"She…" I tried to think of a better word than murdered, "'got rid of' Flo the lunch lady."

Mr. Davenport chuckled. "Jaden, I'm sorry but people get fired everyday. Watch." He pulled out his phone and sent a text message to someone. "There. I just fired Bob Mackley."

"That says Bob Martin." Leo pointed out. Mr. Davenport looked at his phone, then sent another text, realizing his mistake.

"Oh well. They were both dead weight anyways." He decided. He started to walk away, but Bree stopped him before he could.

"Flo was not fired!" She exclaimed. "Principal Perry wacked her!"

Mr. Davenport gave us all a sceptical look. "Yeah, they were arguing all day and then Perry just snapped!" I agreed with Bree. Leo nodded.

"Come with us. We can prove it to you." He told his step-father.

"Guys." Mr. Davenport tried to reason with us. "I know Principal Perry has done some awful things, but this is obviously a big misunderstanding. I mean, do you really think murder is something she is capable of?"

"It's Principal Perry. Think about it." Bree insisted.

FLASHBACK MONTAGE

"Come with me. There's something under the bleachers I need dug up and reburied."

Xxx

"Let's check out the school. I want to see if the cops are still sniffing around for me."

Xxx

"Don't you have janitors to do this stuff for you?"

"Yeah, but they're at my house, trying to make something look like an 'accident'."

FLASHBACK MONTAGE OVER

Mr. Davenport stared at us, wide-eyed. "What's wrong with you guys? Of course she did it! Let's go!"

We followed the older man out of the lab and back to the scene of the crime.

Bree's POV

We ran into the cafeteria, expecting to find a gruesome crime scene with blood, guts, and quite possibly, Flo's cold, dead body. Instead, we found the room spotless, as if nothing bad had ever happened here.

"I don't get it. There's no evidence anywhere." I looked around, confused.

"She must have cleaned up to cover her tracks." Leo decided. Mr. Davenport didn't look that convinced though.

"This was a complete waste of time." He complained. "The only crime here is that I'm late for my pilates class. You guys got me all worked up over nothing-"

The door behind us swung open and Perry walked in, wearing the horrid shorts and carrying a mop. We all shouted in surprise. "What are you doing here? School's been closed for hours!" Perry sounded very annoyed with us.

"She's wearing the shorts." Jaden hissed in my ear. I could hear the horror in his voice.

"I don't know what's more disturbing: the fact that she may have offed someone or that she's showing that much leg." Mr. Davenport whispered back.

Perry set down the mop, then turned to us. Leo raised an eyebrow at her. "Why are you sweating…more than usual?" He asked. Perry looked a little surprised by the question.

"I was cleaning up. There was…an accident." She replied hesitantly.

"An accident?" Jaden repeated. "Like an accident you diabolically planned?"

He wasn't the only one being outright suspicious. "Where's Flo?" Leo demanded.

"Yeah, we saw you fighting with her earlier!" I exclaimed.

"We patched things up!" Perry defended herself. "She's in a better place now!"

"A better place." Leo repeated.

"There's nothing to see here. Move along." Perry insisted.

"So then you don't mind if we take a look around?" I questioned. We all glanced at the garbage bags behind Principal Perry.

"What's in the bags, Perry?" Leo questioned. Perry kicked them behind her and they bounced off the tables with a squishing sound.

"Bags? What bags?" Perry replied. We all exchanged looks.

"We know what's going on!" I shouted.

"We saw everything!" Jaden agreed.

"You were yelling at Flo, then you started pounding." Leo told her. She paled, looking scared for once.

"You saw that?" She gasped. We nodded. "Well now you know too much. No one's leaving!"

Well, that wasn't good. Perry ran past us and deadlocked the doors together.

Mr. Davenport even looked nervous at this point. "Look, do whatever you want to us, but please, put on some pants!" He begged.

Jaden's POV

"This has gone far enough, Perry." Mr. Davenport finally decided. We'd been waiting for a long time to see if Perry would kill us or not. So far, we were all intact, but knowing our psycho principal, that fact could change at any moment.

"Yeah, let us out!" Leo agreed with his stepfather.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Perry replied, her voice lacking emotion. "At least, not until I jam this down your throat."

She pulled a metal cover off a plate and the four of us flinched. However, the only thing under the cover was four burgers.

"She wants to watch us eat first." Leo realized. "You are one sick lady!"

Perry merely rolled her eyes and pushed the plate towards us. "Go ahead, dig in."

"Well, I would, but I'm on a low carb thing…" Mr. Davenport tried to get out of eating the burger, but Perry didn't give him a chance to lie his way out of this one.

"Eat the meat, Don." Perry growled menacingly. He gulped, but took a burger. We all did. Hesitantly, we all took a bite out of the food.

It was amazing. Incredible. Before today, I'd never thought it would be possible to top one of my mom's homemade burgers. I was just proven wrong.

"Mmm." We all nodded approvingly, until Mr. Davenport spit out a ring.

"Is that a ring?" Bree gasped, surprised.

"Rusty and Flo forever." He read off the piece of jewellery. We all stopped chewing immediately, knowing what that meant. Spitting out everything that was in my mouth, I felt like I was going to be sick. I couldn't believe that Perry turned Flo into a delicious piece of meat!

"Okay, she did it. Let's get out of here!" Mr. Davenport decided and we all ran for the door. Leo pulled on the deadlock, but it wouldn't budge.

"I can't unlock it!" He cried. I frowned.

"Don't you have a bionic arm? Why don't you use that?" I questioned. He looked at his hand.

"Right, I can do that now." He remembered. Using the bionic arm, he pulled the deadlock away as if it was nothing. We all ran out the door, not caring to see if the others were following.

Bree's POV

"I called the police!" Jaden called, running out Perry's office. I nodded approvingly at my boyfriend.

"Adam and Chase will be here as soon as they can." I informed him. Leo jogged back into the lobby, carrying a baseball bat.

"And I've got a weapon." He announced. I rolled my eyes.

"Leo, you're bionic." I reminded him.

"I keep forgetting!" He complained, dropping the bat. He looked around, frowning. "Hey, where's Big D?"

I looked at him, alarmed. "I thought he was with you!" I exclaimed. We all spun around at the sound of Perry's voice coming from the cafeteria.

"This is it, Donny." She announced. "Say goodbye to everything you ever knew!"

The sound of a mallet hitting something soft and mushy filled the air. "NO!" We all shouted, bursting into the room. We were confused by what we saw.

Perry stood in the center of the room, beating hamburger meat with a mallet while Mr. Davenport watching in fascination. "It really makes a difference when you tenderize the meat with a lot of brute force!" Perry shouted.

"What is going on?" Leo demanded. Mr. Davenport turned around, grinning.

"Hey. You're just in time. Perry's showing me how to pound some rounds." He chuckled. "It's really disturbing, but you can't look away."

"Wait, so this whole thing was about making hamburgers?" Jaden confirmed. Perry stopped hitting the meat so we didn't have to shout anymore.

"She and Flo are opening a food truck." Mr. Davenport explained.

"Oh." We nodded, realizing that it made more sense than our murder theory. Then we remembered how good those burgers were, despite the ring. "Oh!"

"We were going to open a regular restaurant, but then we figured that the health inspector is going to come after us anyway, might as well put some wheels under us." Perry explained. "Flo's picking up the truck now."

"They came up with the perfect recipe." Mr. Davenport cut in. Perry nodded.

"There was a lot of arguing, but we finally got it." She picked up the mallet. "My secret ingredient is rage!"

She once again resume to mercilessly beat the meat.

So, as it turned out, Flo was alive. And the school was going to get a lot more, better tasting burgers. So once we explained the misunderstanding to the police officers that showed up, it was decided that the day could have gone worse.


	27. Face Off

Bree's POV

"Hey Jay." I grinned, skipping into the school. My boyfriend was sitting at the bench in the lobby, trying to do some last-minute homework before class. He didn't even glance up as I approached.

"Oh, hey." He greeted, scribbling down some notes. "How was your night?"

There was something in his tone that made me stop. "Uh, we had a mission. Had to go stop some thugs from stealing a large supply of indium from Mr. Davenport's supply."

Jaden frowned and looked up. "What the heck is indium?"

"Chase said that Mr. Davenport uses it for electrical conductors or something." I shrugged and he went back to his work. "Okay, what's wrong? You never focus that much on homework unless you're peeved at something."

"It's nothing, Bree." He assured me. I raised an eyebrow.

"Jaden…" He sighed.

"You do remember that we were supposed to go out last night, don't you?" He questioned, turning around. I froze.

"Oh, crap! Jaden, I'm so sorry! With the mission and everything, I completely spaced." I apologized. He shook his head.

"It's not your fault, I know. Missions come first." He told me. I was about to apologize again, but he stopped me. "Seriously Bree, I'm not upset with you."

I nodded. "Thanks for understanding. I know this isn't the first time it's happened." I said, sitting down beside him.

"Yeah, third time this month." He agreed. He sighed. "Look, I know it's not your fault and I don't blame you or Mr. D or anyone really. It's just…I'd like to have one night with you where bionics, or inventions, or Krane, don't end up ruining it."

I nodded. "What about tomorrow night then?" I suggested. He looked at me, confused. "The winter formal, remember? It can be a totally bionic, invention, and Krane free night."

He grinned. "That would be amazing." He kissed me softly, and when he pulled away, he was still smiling. "Thank you."

I was about to say more when the first period bell rang. "I've got to go to math class." He announced, getting up. "You've got spare, right?"

I nodded. "Yep."

He smirked. "I'll try and sneak out early." He offered. I beamed.

"Can't wait." I called after him. Grinning, I walked over to my brothers. "Guess who's got a date to the winter formal?"

"Calla!" Adam guessed. I looked at him.

"No…well, if she does, she hasn't told me. I was talking about me though." I told him. Chase nodded.

"Jaden got your tickets?" He questioned. I nodded.

"Yep. It's going to be amazing!" I grinned. Adam and Chase both rolled their eyes at my excitement. "I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that neither of you guys have dates?"

"Nope." Chase muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. Adam laughed.

"Yeah, 'cause no one wants to date you." He commented. Chase raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? Who are you going to the dance with?" he countered. Adam stopped laughing.

"…no one." He murmured sadly before walking away. Suddenly, a pair of arms grabbed me around the waist. Giggling, I fell into the embrace.

"Hey you." A voice murmured in my ear.

"Hey yourself." I replied. I turned around to kiss Jaden when the intercom turned on.

"Attention students, this is your principal, Principal Perry." Adam's lousy impression of Perry was heard throughout the entire school. "Please report to the hallway where Bree Davenport is about to make out with the boy she likes."

All heads turned towards us. Most of the school already knew we were dating, but having them all stare at us was really, really embarrassing. I glared at Adam as he stepped out of the principal's office.

Jaden meanwhile, dealt with the crowd in the only way he knew how – with a smirk and a laid-back response.

"Yep. Sorry ladies, I'm spoken for." He announced before kissing me on the lips. The kiss lasted for a long while (not that I minded) just to prove his point. By the time I pulled away, the students had diverted their attention to other things.

"Why would you do that?" I demanded, turning to Adam. Jaden nodded.

"Yeah dude, not cool." He agreed. Adam shrugged.

"Hey, if Perry were alive, she'd want me to." He defended himself. We both stared at him.

"She's not dead; she's home with a cold!" Jaden reminded him.

"You don't know that! She could be dead by now." Adam insisted. "And this is how I choose to honour her."

"Can't you embarrass somebody else besides me?" I requested. Adam shrugged.

"I could." He agreed before turning around and pulling Chase's pants down to his ankles. The entire hallway burst into laughter. Even I had trouble keeping it back, hiding my smirk with my hands. Chase stared at Adam, shocked and embarrassed. "But I'm better than that."

"Wow…" We turned to see Calla standing behind Chase, shaking her head at her ex. "That is…attractive."

Chase hastened to pull up his pants as Calla walked past him, still shaking her head. I ran after her.

"Hey, you want to pick out dresses together for the winter formal?" I questioned. She grinned.

"Yeah, sure. Wanna go tonight?" She suggested. I nodded.

"Sure. Oh, by the way, who's your date?" I inquired. Calla merely shook her head.

"Don't have one." She replied, stopping at her locker and opening it. I noticed that it had recently been redecorated. Instead of pictures of her, Chase, and the rest of us, it was full of complicated blueprints. Hmm, must be a new project.

"Did no one ask you?" I asked, confused. She shrugged and pulled out a couple of books.

"Well, Jake Mason from history did, but…" She shrugged. "There's just no spark, you know? He's a cool guy, but I don't like him like that."

I nodded. "I understand. Hey, Adam and Chase aren't going with dates either. Maybe you can hang out with them." I suggested. She bit her lip.

"Yeah, maybe." She agreed absently. I could tell she wasn't too into that plan though.

"What about Kieran and Caleb? Do they have dates?" I questioned.

"Nope." We turned at the sound of Caleb's voice. The handsome boy stood behind us, a backpack hanging off one shoulder. "Morning Bree, morning Cal."

"Hey." I nodded at him, but he didn't seem to notice. He was only looking at Calla. He clearly wanted to talk to her and I could tell that this was something that I didn't want to get involved in. "I'll see you later, Calla." I told my best friend before walking away.

Calla's POV

I sighed and watched as Bree walked away. "She doesn't like me much, does she?" Caleb guessed. I shook my head.

"Nah, I don't think so." I agreed. I frowned at him. "Okay, I know for a fact that you have English right now. Did you get a spare this period too?"

"Uh, no. I'm skipping." He admitted. I crossed my arms and gave him a look. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I had a good reason."

"This should be interesting." I muttered, leaning back against my now closed locker. "What's up?"

"Well…" Caleb trailed off, looking around the hall. It was empty, everyone either back in their classes or taking advantage of their spare elsewhere. We were alone. "Obviously, you know that the winter formal is tomorrow night."

"Yeah, I was just talking about it with Bree. You need help finding a date?" I'd already tried helping Kieran find a girl for him, but no one had interested him so far.

Caleb chuckled and shook his head. "Actually, I think I've found the perfect girl. She just needs to say yes."

Suddenly, a chill went down my spine. Oh no. Please, no. "Good for you, Caleb." I smiled, hoping I was wrong about his choice. "Who is it?"

He pressed one hand against my the locker, bringing himself closer to me. "You." He murmured.

Damn it, I was right. I took a moment to figure out a good way to word my answer. "As flattered as I am, I'm going to have to say no, Caleb."

He didn't move. "Come on, Calla! Now that Chase and you are done, what's stopping you?"

"Do you want that list alphabetically, or chronologically?" I questioned. He didn't answer. "I thought you were okay with us just being friends."

Caleb gave me a look. "How could you even think that I was okay with that?" He questioned. "Calla, do you really think I could be 'just friends' with the girl I love?"

I blinked, a little surprised. "You love me?"

He let out a short laugh. "I've been in love with you since the sixth grade." I stared at him, and he took that as a sign to continue. "Remember? We snuck up onto the roof between classes so you could take pictures of the solar eclipse on your new camera. I accidently locked the door behind us and we were stuck up there for three hours."

"Caleb…I…" I trailed off, a little stunned that he remembered that. "I don't know what to say."

"Say yes." He leaned in, about to press his lips against mine. And for half a second, I was going to let him.

Then I came back to my senses. I stopped him, my hands pressing against his chest. "Don't."

"Calla, love, I-" He began. I cut him off before he could say more.

"You don't love me Caleb, you never did." I shook my head at him. "If you loved me, you wouldn't have kissed Faith or Bree."

I ducked under his arm, intending to get away. I heard him call after me. "You stuck up little bitch!" I heard him shout. "I've done everything I can to make you happy, even putting up with those freaks you call friends."

I stopped where I was, then spun around to face him. "Insult me, go ahead Caleb. I don't care. But the one thing I won't let you, or anyone, do is insult my friends, got it?" I demanded. "You leave them out of this."

"C'mon, Calla. Don't tell me you care about those weirdoes. Even that nerd that you used to go out with?" He demanded. I looked at him.

"Yeah, I do care about 'that nerd'. His name is Chase, by the way." I spat. "And he was a better boyfriend than you ever were."

Bree's POV

I stormed into the lab after school, annoyed. "Adam is such a jerk!" I complained. I turned to Chase, who had sat down at Calla's desk. "I can not believe that he embarrassed me and Jaden in front of the whole school!"

"Yeah, you two usually manage to embarrass yourselves just fine on your own." My younger brother agreed. I shot him a glare. "Don't worry, I know the perfect way to get revenge."

He got up from the desk and pulled a box out of a drawer. "I've been working on upgrades to Mr. Davenport's cyber masks. Now," he flipped the box open, "they're cyber masks and cloaks.

He grinned at me, expecting me to be impressed. "That's not revenge. That's you being a nerd."

He rolled his eyes. "These perfectly mimic the face and body of the person you're pretending to be. Now you can impersonate Perry and bust Adam!" I liked the sound of that. "Here is how I redesigned the electrical infrastructure-"

"Yeah, boring. Let's get to the pain." I told him eagerly, grabbing one of the cyber chips. He nodded and walked back to Calla's desk. He turned on the computer screen and started typing. "Just let me download a picture of Principal Perry and enter her height and weight."

I looked at him, confused as to how he would know those numbers. "I got it off the back of her trading card." He explained. "She used to play hockey in Canada."

I shrugged, placed the cyber mask chip on my neck, and waited for Chase to finish his work. A few seconds later, he gave me a nod and I pressed the button. I glanced down at myself, and saw that I had grown much fatter and uglier. Cool, it worked!

"And voila." Chase told me. I stood up and checked my reflection in the desk. It was hideous, but definitely Perry.

"Wow. I look just like her!" I grinned. "I sound just like her too, and I'm not even using my vocal manipulation."

"I know." Chase grinned. "Voice modulation is built right in. And if you want to change back to your own voice, just press the other end of the tab."

I did so. "This is so cool!" I exclaimed in my own voice. "This is going to be-" I let go of the tab and my voice changed back to Perry's. "-the best revenge ever."

I stepped forwards to hug Chase, but he backed up. "Let's just shake on it." He offered, clearly not wanting to hug me while I was in Perry's body. Rolling my eyes, I shook his hand, then began to plan how to get back at Adam.

Calla's POV

"Crap!" I muttered, racing into the school as the bell rang. I skidded to a stop next to Kieran. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"You missed first period." He noted, closing the book in his hands. I nodded, still trying to regain my breath.

"Yeah, I know. Mr. Davenport wanted me at the big board meeting today, but I forgot to have my mom call ahead and excuse me from class." I explained. He nodded.

"You're lucky – we had a substitute today. He didn't notice that you weren't here." He assured me. I grinned and sat down beside him.

"Thank god." I muttered. Kieran glanced at me, an amused smirk on his face.

"So, why did Davenport want you at the meeting? Was it important?" He inquired. I nodded.

"Majorly important, actually. He's making some big changes at the company." Kieran looked at me, curious, but I shook my head. "Sorry, Kieran. It's supposed to be a secret."

He pouted a little. "Can't I have a hint?"

I thought about it, trying to think of a way to give him a clue without really spoiling anything. "It's…it's going to change the entire future of Davenport Industries forever. And no, I can't say any more than that."

He rolled his eyes. "You're no fun." He muttered. He started to open his book, then stopped. I frowned.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked, a little concerned. Lately, Kieran had been…off. I didn't know why.

Said boy sighed. "Can I ask you something?"

I looked at him suspiciously. "Are you planning on asking me out?" I questioned. He shook his head.

"No…?" He seemed confused, so I shrugged.

"Alright, shoot." I told him. He hesitated.

"What do you know about recurring dreams? Like what they might mean?" He finally asked. I frowned.

"Well, recurring dreams are usually the result of something in your life that you've not acknowledged and is causing you stress." I quoted my favourite science website, HowStuffWorks. "Why? Are you having recurring dreams or nightmares?"

"Dreams." Kieran admitted. I leaned forward, curious.

"About?" I prompted. He looked at me.

"Promise you won't make fun?" He asked.

"Nope, now tell me." I instructed.

"It's about a girl." He began. He must have caught sight of my very amused expression, because he immediately defended himself. "It's not like that! There's nothing romantic about it at all!"

I raised my hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. So, who's the girl?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I feel like I should know her, like her name's on the tip of my tongue, but I just don't know."

The poor guy looked really bothered by this. "Okay, do you remember anything else?"

He looked at me helplessly. "No, just her. Nothing else…" I raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?" I inquired. He frowned.

"I hear her voice, sometimes. She keeps calling me K-9." I bit my lip, thinking.

"K-9? Can I call you Dog-Boy from now on?" I asked. He gave me a look. "K-Dog it is."

"I'm serious." He insisted. I nodded.

"I know. But I don't know what to tell you. Have you been under any stress lately?" I asked. He shook his head again. "What about headaches? Any more of those?"

"They're getting worse." He complained. I patted his back, hoping it would help.

"I'd try Tylenol or something Kieran. But I don't know enough about psychology to help you with your dream problems." I apologized. "Sorry."

He shook his head, looking deep in thought. "It's fine. It's probably just a little stress from going to a new school and all."

I frowned at him. "You sure?"

He gave m a small smile. "Yeah, I'm sure."

I nodded, smiling back at him, then looked around. "Okay, why is everyone standing around?"

Kieran chuckled. "Oh, you don't know? Adam's been doing the announcements, pretending to be Principal Perry. It's pretty funny."

As if on queue, I heard Adam's Perry impression over the intercom. "Attention students, it's me again. The real Principal Perry. You know, pantsuits, cats, hate you. Any who, even though I'm sick at home, I want you all to know that you make me sick here too."

I laughed and shook my head at the boy. "That's not going to end up well for him." Kieran commented.

"What makes you think that?" I inquired. He pointed to the far wall.

"Because Perry just showed up." He explained.

"Yeah, that's not Perry." I told him. He looked at me. "Trust me, K-Dog, I know a cyber mask when I see one."

'Principal Perry' (or whomever it was disguised as her) walked up to Adam. "Hey!" The older boy jumped at the sound of her voice. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Principal Perry? I thought you were sick!" Adam exclaimed. I glanced around, knowing that there were only four people with access to cyber masks. And since Adam, Chase, and Leo were all in sight, I knew it had to be Bree. Wait to go girl.

"I am." Bree/Perry replied. "But I ran out of people to give the virus to, so I'm spreading it around here."

Adam looked at her disgusted, but Bree/Perry continued. "I heard you were embarrassing the students. Well I think it's time to embarrass you."

Adam laughed. "Good luck with that. I've been embarrassing myself for years. It's kinda hard to top the master."

"Embarrasing himself is something he's proud of?" Kieran whispered, not wanting to interrupt. I nodded, a smirk on my face.

"Apparently." I agreed. I looked at the younger boy. "Let's see where this goes."

Not five minutes later was Adam standing in the hall, dressed in the same outfit as Chase. He even had his hair spiked up to match. I had to admit, Bree was a genius when it came to knowing what embarrassed her brothers.

"Okay, you've topped the master." Adam admitted, his face red.

"You look ridiculous." Chase laughed. Adam looked at him.

"You realize I'm dressed like you, right?" He questioned. Chase's smile faded as he looked at his outfit, then back at Adam's.

"Hey, it's not a bad outfit." I commented. Kieran looked at me. "What?"

He just shook his head at me. "I don't understand why you two don't just forgive, forget, and make out."

I looked at him and laughed. "Not how things work."

"Really? It doesn't seem that complicated to me." He commented, getting to his feet and heading to his next class.

Bree's POV

I walked down the stairs, carefully not to trip on my brand new shoes. Calla and I had spent hours searching for the right outfits, so long that it felt like it was the old times, before the world knew we were bionic. It was really fun, and I got a really pretty red dress out of it too.

"How do I look?" I asked Chase, twirling in front of him. He didn't even look up from his magazine.

"Terrible." He replied. I crossed my arms and cleared my throat. He sighed and looked up. "You look great, Bree. I'm sure Jaden will think so too."

I smiled at him, then smirked as Adam stormed up the stairs. "I can not believe Principal Perry came back from the dead just to embarrass me like that!" He complained. "Now, call me crazy, but I'm starting to think she's not a good person."

Chase and I exchanged looks. "Oh, he still doesn't know." I reazlied.

Chase looked at me. "Know what? That's an endless list. Can you be more specific?"

I hummed in agreement, then turned back to Adam. "Well, Adam. A prank is no fun unless you take credit for it, so I guess I should probably tell you that it wasn't Perry messing with you, it was me."

Adam looked at me in confusion. "I don't understand."

I rolled my eyes. "Here. Let me show you." I offered, pressing the tab that was still on my neck. I quickly changed into Perry, much to Adam's surprise. "Aren't I gorgeous?"

"Whoa!" Adam was stunned. "Bree?"

I nodded. "Yep."

He laughed. "I know I should be mad, but best prank ever!" He high fived me. I pressed the button on the tab to change me back.

"Thanks, I'm rather proud of it myself." I replied.

"Even though it was my idea." Chase added. I rolled my eyes.

"You're always proud of yourself. Take a day off." I suggested. The door bell rang. "That's Jaden. I'll see you guys later."

"You're going to leave while you still look like an Eastern European swim coach?" He questioned. Confused, I looked down at myself. To my horror, I still looked like Perry. "Lose the cyber cloak."

"Good catch." I complimented, hitting the button again. Nothing happened. Jaden knocked on the door. "Be right there!" I called, hitting the button frantically. Still, I didn't change back. "Chase? What's going on and why won't I change back?"

Chase frowned, then took a look at the tab. A few seconds later, he backed up. "I believe the technical term for this is 'it's stuck'."

I stared at him. "Stuck?" I repeated. "I can't go to the dance as Perry! What am I going to do?"

There was another knock on the door. "Bree? Are you ready?" Jaden called.

Adam laughed. "I know I am."

I turned to Chase. "Fix this." I pleaded. "I promised Jaden a bionic and invention-free evening. If he finds out about this, he'll get mad."

"Bree?" Jaden knocked on the door again. "It's kinda cold out here. Can I come in?"

Adam leapt off the couch and headed for the door. "Adam, do not open that door!" I ordered.

"Why would I do that? Oh right. Because it's going to be hilarious." He grinned and opened the door. "Come on in, Jay."

Jaden walked in, hands shoved in his pockets. "Principal Perry?" He questioned, staring at me. "What are you doing here?"

I reactivated Perry's voice. "Uh…yelling, sweating, rifling through their meat." I replied. Jaden shrugged.

"Okay, cool. Is Bree around?" He inquired, looking around.

"She's not here." I lied. Jaden raised an eyebrow.

"I just heard her voice." He told us. He let out an annoyed huff. "Don't tell me she's blowing me off for another mission/invention thing!"

"No." I said quickly. "I mean, she's here, she's just not in the room right now. She'll be down in a sec. Can you excuse us?"

I grabbed Chase by the arm and dragged him into the hall. "Grab another cyber mask and pretend to be me!" I begged. He looked at me like I was crazy.

"What?" Chase demanded. I rolled my eyes.

"Relax, all you have to do is tell Jaden that I'm too sick to go to the dance." I told him.

"No! I refuse to be your-" I sped us down to the lab, slapped a cyber mask on him, then dragged us back upstairs.

"Wow." Jaden grinned, looking at Chase/Me. "You look beautiful."

"Knock it off, dork." Chase muttered in his own voice. He quickly changed it. "I mean, nice sweater. I think I have the same one."

Adam just looked at us confused. "Wait, what's going on?" He asked. He figured it out after a second. "Oh, okay. I see what you did. You know what? You guys keep going. I want to see how this plays out." He sat back down on the couch, a cheeky grin on his face.

"Look Jaden, I'm sorry, but I can't go to the dance. I'm real sick." Chase/Me faked a cough.

"Sick?" Jaden repeated, confused. "You were fine on the phone."

Chase/Me panicked for an excuse, but Adam cut in before anyone else could speak. "Don't worry, Jay. I see what's going on here. Bree's not sick, she's nervous. Trust me, she really wants to go to this dance with you."

Jaden was pleased by this. Chase/Me was not. "No, I'm not!" He attacked Adam, getting violent to the point that he jumped on Adam's back. Jaden watched in surprise and confusion as they fought.

"Stop it!" I shouted, making both Adam and Chase/Me freeze. They glanced at Jaden.

"Okay, this is weird." Jaden admitted. "Should I go?"

"No, don't go Jaden!" I pleaded before remembering that I looked like Perry. I turned to Chase/Me, a pleading look on my face. "Bree, tell him what you told me. That you think he's great, that you aren't going to mess tonight up with a stupid invention, and that you're dying for him to take you to the dance."

"I am not taking him to the dance." Chase/Me growled. I looked at Jaden.

"Excuse us for a sec." I told him before pushing Chase/Me back into the hall. "Look, if your stupid mask ruins this date, Jaden's going to be really upset with me and I need to prove that we can have a bionic/invention free night. Go to the dance and stall him until I can figure out how to switch this off!"

"No way." Chase/Me growled.

"I am a teenage girl trapped inside Perry's body. Do you really want to see what happens when those two mix?" I demanded. That made Chase/Me stop and think.

"Fine!" He snapped. "But that is no way to treat someone pretending to be a lady."

He sighed and walked over to Jaden. "Alright, let's go to the dance, dude." He declared. I pushed him forward, urging him to act more like me. "I mean…" Chase/Me let out a fake-giggle and curtseyed. "Shall we?"

Jaden and Chase/Me started out the door. "I'll chaperone!" I called, walking after them.

"Me too." Adam offered, not wanting to miss a moment. "Oh and Jaden, feel free to hold Bree's hand!"

I sighed as Chase/Me violently assaulted Adam once again.

Calla's POV

The dance wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Kieran never showed (I didn't really blame him though. Going without a date was a little weird) but the music was great and it wasn't like I was the only single person there. Rebeccka had gone without a date and judging by the grin on her face, she was having the time of her life. Not to mention, I had a really pretty dress. It was a mostly white dress with straps, but started to fade into a blue after it passed my waist. I had my favourite snowflake necklace on, along with white flats.

"Hey dude!" I glanced up from my glass of punch to see Adam run up to the DJ. "Is that your van outside? Dude, I think you'd better go check. I think somebody put a dent in it."

Eyes widening, the DJ started to run out. Adam stopped him. "Oh, and hey," he held out a hammer, "can you return this to shop class?"

The DJ, too concerned for his vehichle, didn't even stop to question why Adam had a hammer. But I did.

"Okay, what are you up to?" I asked as Adam climbed onto the DJ's stand. He grinned at me.

"You'll see." He promised, grabbing a mike. "Ladies and gentlemen! Let's get this party started! Whoo!"

Everyone in the room clapped. "Let's start with a slow love ballad."

Following Adam's gaze, I saw that the older boy was smirking at Jaden and a very, very annoyed looking Bree. "Are they having issues or something?" I questioned. Adam laughed to himself.

"Something like that." He agreed as Jaden pulled Bree onto the dance floor. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, until Bree crossed her arms and Jaden put his around her. Perry walked up to us.

"Adam." She warned. Said boy chuckled.

"Don't they make a lovely couple?" he asked. I looked at the two of them, confused.

"Okay, what is going on?" I demanded. Before either of them could answer, my phone rang. I glanced at it and groaned. "I'll be back."

Stepping into the hall, I answered the call. "You know that I punched out three hours ago, right Mr. Davenport?"

He merely laughed. "Do you remember that discussion we had about the replacement for number 2?"

"On the softball team? Yeah, of course I do. You said it was going to be either Dougie or Leo. Why?"

"They seem to be under the impression that they're competing to be my new vice-president."

I blinked, taking that in, then laughed loudly. "Seriously? Why would they think that?"

"They went through my stuff without permission." My boss explained. I shook my head. Idiots. "Anyway, I need two things from you."

"Sure." I nodded.

"First of all, I told them they'd have to complete challenges to help me decide. Any ideas?" I thought about it for a second.

"Dodgeball or random electrocutions." I replied. He hummed thoughtfully.

"Second of all, wanna be on the softball team?"

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" I agreed.

"Great. Just one last thing. Do you know where the cyber masks are?"

"Uh, I think Bree was messing with them earlier." I replied. I glanced back at Perry, who was still here. Was that Chase, disguised in a cyber mask? Had to be. "I think Chase has them now."

Bree's POV

"It's still not letting me change back!" I complained to Chase/Me. My eyes widened when I saw Jaden coming up behind us. "Jaden!" I hissed to my brother.

"Bree, there you are." Jaden grinned at Chase/Me. "Are you ready to hit the dance floor again?"

"Yeah, sure." Chase/Me sighed. "Just give me a sec to run to the can." Jaden looked at Chase/Me confused. "The trash can. In the ladies room. Yep, I am all lady."

With that, Chase/Me ran off in an attempt to escape. Jaden looked at me.

"I don't know what's going on with her. She promised me one night, and now it looks like that's not going to happen, bionics or not."

"She really meant to keep her promise!" I blurted out. "She did her best because well, she really likes you. Really, really likes you."

Jaden looked at me, weirded out, then walked away. With a groan, I plopped down at the table across from Adam.

"Having fun?" He questioned, smirking.

"What do you think?" I demanded. "Jaden is upset with me and I'm trapped inside Perry's body, which, by the way, is as sweaty inside as it is outside."

Once again, I tapped at the button on the tab. "Tonight is the worst night of my life!" I complained, burying my head in my arms. I heard Adam's surprised, yet delighted laugh.

"And the best day of mine." He laughed. I looked up and stared in horror as the REAL Principal Perry walked through the doors.

Panicking, I ducked beneath the punch table. I glanced up seconds later to see Chase/Me talking to Perry. I knocked over a glass, knowing that he would hear it with his bionic hearing. Chase/Me looked over and jumped, realizing that he was speaking to the real Perry.

"Something weird is going on!" Perry announced loudly. I couldn't hear most of what they were saying, but then Jaden walked up and Chase/Me forcibly dragged him onto the dance floor.

"I want to go dance like the girl that I am!" Chase/Me announced. I groaned in embarrassment as he began to dance awkwardly, but I knew he did it as a distraction for me to escape. Very quietly, I attempted to sneak out of the gym. I failed, being caught by Perry at the last second.

"Hey!" She called, eyes widening when she saw my face. "What do you think you're doing?"

"…I can explain." I offered. Perry nodded.

"You'd better!" She agreed. "My long lost twin sister shows up after eleven years, she better have a real good reason."

Twin sister? There were two in the litter that created Perry? "You're a twin?" I couldn't help the surprise from leaking into my voice.

"Don't try that amnesia thing with me again." Perry growled. "You owe me a car, a canoe, and two boyfriends."

"Uh…I'm sorry?" I really didn't know what to say here. Perry nodded.

"You're gonna be. I'm about to give you real amnesia!" Unzipping her jacket, Perry advanced towards me.

Calla's POV

Okay, tonight was definitely one of the weirder nights in Mission Creek. I mean, one Perry was bad enough, but two? And one of the Perrys was trying to kill the other.

"Get off me!" One of them, the one in a pantsuit, shouted.

"You can keep the boyfriends, but I want that canoe!" The second Perry shouted, pushing her opposite away from her. Suddenly, that Perry's body shimmered and was replaced with Bree's body.

"Bree?" I asked, confused. Wait, if she was over here, then who was dancing with my brother. I turned around to see Jaden and Chase slow dancing together, the latter's head on my brother's shoulder. Blinking twice, I whipped out my cell phone and snapped a couple of pics.

Jaden pushed Chase away, a confused and disgusted look on his face. Chase just frowned at him.

"What?" He asked. Then he glanced down at himself and realized he'd turned back. "Oh."

There was an awkward pause. Then, with a smirk on his face and a laugh in his voice, Chase said, "Thank you for the magical evening."

Bree's POV

"Okay, I need an explanation." Jaden announced, walking over to me. I bit my lip, nervous. "Come on, Bree. What's the deal?"

I sighed. "You remember how we were messing Adam using the cyber masks?"

Jaden nodded. "Yeah, it was funny. I loved the look on his face when 'Perry' walked in."

I nodded. "Yeah, well the cyber mask got stuck."

Jaden stared at me for a moment. "Stuck? It got stuck on Perry?" He confirmed, to which I nodded. He laughed. "Oh my god, that is rich. That is hilarious!"

"No it's not!" I objected. Jaden chuckled and pulled me into a hug, lying his head on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry Bree, but it really is." He chuckled into my ear. He kissed me on the cheek. "But I won't laugh if it upsets you."

He pulled away a second later. "There's just one thing I don't get."

"What is that?" I asked.

"Why didn't you just tell me what was going on instead of having me go to the dance with your brother? Unless he really wanted to dance with me, which would be totally understandable. I'm so cool even the guys want me." Jaden grinned, causing me to giggle.

"I just…I made you a promise and I didn't want to break it." I explained. Jaden nodded, still smiling at me.

"Bree, it's fine. I just have to get used to the bionics and the inventions…but no Krane, please no Krane." He begged. I nodded.

"No Krane. That's a promise I can keep." I agreed, hugging him. He hugged me just as tightly back.

"Should I be bothered by the fact that your brother is actually a pretty good slow dancer?" He asked innocently. I laughed, then pulled him out onto the dance floor for a real dance.

Calla's POV

"That was…interesting." I commented, following Chase to the punch table. He groaned.

"You saw that?" He questioned, filling up a glass. I nodded.

"You know, you could have told me if you had a thing for Jay. I totally would have understood." I continued. He rolled his eyes, then began to fill up a second glass.

"I don't have a thing for your brother." He insisted, handing me the second glass. I took it with a smile.

"I know." I agreed. "Which bears the question; why'd you do it?"

He sighed. "What? You're not going to make more fun?"

"Not until I know the reason. And if you say that you were trying to make me jealous…" I trailed off, smirking. He chuckled.

"Nah, I'm not stupid enough to try and make you jealous with your own brother." He replied. "Bree got stuck in the Perry form because of the cyber mask, so I did her a favour."

"That was nice of you." I commented. Chase frowned at me.

"Okay, this is the first time you've talked to me without getting mad since the break up. What's going on?" He asked suspiciously. I sighed.

"You were right." I admitted. Chase looked at me as if I was crazy.

"What did you just say?" He questioned, surprised. I sighed.

"You were right." I repeated. "About Caleb, I mean."

Chase's gaze darkened. "What did he do?"

Knowing him, there was probably a hundred possibilities going through his mind. "He tried to kiss me." I replied. Chase bit his lip, annoyed.

"And did you kiss him back?" He murmured, his voice quiet. I gave him a look.

"What do you think?" I demanded. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Good…I mean, it's totally up to you who you date." He mumbled the last bit. I smirked.

"He also insulted you and the others." I continued. Chase gave me a look.

"God, he IS an idiot!" He exclaimed, making me laugh a little. "I mean, I've made the same mistake, but everyone knows how protective you are of your friends."

"Yeah." I agreed, fumbling with my bracelet. Chase raised an eyebrow at that.

"Are you okay?" He questioned. "You only do that when you're nervous."

I stilled my hands. "I'm fine…"

Chase sighed. "Look Calla, I'm sorry I insulted Kieran and Kaitlin. It's just…I got paranoid about new kids after everything that's happened and I nearly lost you that night and-"

"Don't apologize." I ordered. Chase stopped midsentence, confused. "I overreacted. I was mad and upset and a little freaked out and I took it out on you. That was wrong. I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry."

Chase seemed a little surprised, so I continued. "I screwed up, and during our time apart…I realized how much I need you. Please, please, take me back."

Chase took a moment to register this, then smiled a slow, soft, loving smile. "As if I could ever say no to you."

He stepped forward then, lifting my face with his hands, and pressed his lips to mine. And for the first time in weeks, I felt complete again.


	28. Adam Up

Calla's POV

"Morning." I greeted, walking into the lab. Leo nodded at me before turning back to our favourite bionic people. They were training in the simulator again, clearly a little too occupied to notice my presence. I glanced at Leo's screen. "How long 'till they're done? Mr. Davenport wanted me to go over bo staff routines with them."

"They'll be done in…three…two…one." Leo counted down. As he said one, Adam, Bree, and Chase all stopped fighting virtual bad guys and took off their simulator glasses. "Great job guys. You just took out an entire unit of virtual cyborgs."

"I think it's sad that you have to invent people to play with you." Eddy commented, appearing on his screen. I rolled my eyes at him, then looked at the others.

"Davenport has you on cyborgs already?" I questioned as Chase walked over, wrapping an arm around my waist. "You weren't supposed to get to that until next Tuesday."

"He's advanced our training." Chase explained before kissing me on the cheek. I smiled.

"Alright Leo, I'm off the clock. Let's go." Adam announced.

"Hold up." Chase ordered, turning to look at him. "Just because Mr. Davenport's away doesn't mean we start training."

Adam and Leo both groaned in annoyance, but Chase wasn't going to let them complain. "How do you think I feel?" He questioned. "I'm missing a four-hour documentary on the printing press."

We all looked at him, but didn't comment. To be honest, it didn't sound like that bad of a film, but the others clearly thought so. "But Leo and I were going to play human bulls-eye bounce." Adam objected. Bree stared at him. "Don't worry, it's way more dangerous than it sounds."

"I know I'm going to regret asking this, but what's human bulls-eye bounce?" She questioned.

"You really don't want to know." I told her, remembering the time Adam forced Chase to play that.

"Is there any way you could get a good enough bounce to land in the emergency room?" Chase asked. "Because that would save us a lot of time."

"Chase." I warned softly.

"Chase is right, Adam." Bree agreed with her brother. "As much as I love watching you get hurt, and I really do, we have to train."

"Oh come on!" Leo complained. "The adults are away. If we don't take advantage by doing something destructive, we're no better than…Chase."

"I'm sorry, but unless he can be in two places at once, he's training!" Chase snapped. Suddenly, an idea popped into my mind. A really, really good idea with a 50% chance of blowing up in our faces.

"Chase, you and Bree get the bo staffs." I instructed. "I need to talk to Adam and Leo for a second."

"Okay." They agreed, walking away. I pushed both Adam and Leo into the lab's backroom, a smirk on my face.

"I never get to do what I want! It's not fair!" Adam complained. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, are all of your cool bionic abilities, really awesome missions, and total popularity at school getting you down?" I teased. He smiled.

"Aw, thanks Calla. I knew you'd understand." He replied. I just shook my head.

"I've got a proposition for you boys." I announced, smiling. Leo looked at me.

"What type of proposition?" He questioned suspiciously. I smirked.

"The kind that gets Adam out of training." I replied. Adam's face lit up.

"Whatever it is, I'll do it!" He exclaimed. I laughed.

"All you have to do is test out one of my new inventions before I show it to Mr. Davenport." I explained. "It's my new cellular duplicator."

"What does that do?" Leo questioned as I grabbed the device out of it's storage case and placed it onto the table.

"It scans human DNA and makes a lifelike doppelganger using synthetic bio-plasma." I explained. Adam frowned at me.

"Are you even speaking English?" The older boy questioned. I rolled my eyes.

"It uses your DNA to make a clone." I reworded my explanation for his sake. Adam's face lit up like Christmas.

"Cool!" He reached for it, but I stopped him.

"Be careful." I warned. "It's not fully tested and there's a large chance it can go horribly wrong." I warned. Leo looked at me.

"Then why are you telling us to use it?" He questioned. I smirked.

"There's a large chance it could go horribly wrong." I repeated. "And if it does, I'd rather you guys be the one to test it." They both nodded.

"Okay, let's do this." Adam decided. I smiled.

"Great. The device just needs a sample of your DNA, so why don't you just pull-" Before I could finish my sentence, Adam spat a glob of saliva onto the panel. "-a hair out."

The device turned on, bright lights flashing. Seconds later a blob of plasma fell out, onto the ground. "Aw, look! It has my eyes!" Adam cooed as the plasma began to grow and morph. Soon, Adam was face to face with Adam.

"Whoa!" "Awesome!" Adam and Leo grinned. Both Adam's started raising their hands to see if the other would copy. Then they spun around shook their butts at the other. Leo nudged my elbow.

"This may have been a big mistake." He commented. I nodded.

"You could be right about that." I agreed. I sighed.

"Alright. Come on…Adam." I grabbed the Adam clone by the arm and dragged him into the lab. "Time to train guys."

"Where's Leo?" Bree questioned. I shrugged.

"I don't know. Probably off doing something stupid. Alright, now break's over. I'll fire up the simulator." I offered.

"Adam, please remember." Chase began. "The cyborgs are fake, but I am real."

I raised an eyebrow at this, listening in on the conversation. "Just one question." Adam replied. "Is this real?"

He then hit Chase in the back with his bo staff. "Ow! Why'd you do that?" Chase demanded.

"Because real pain is funnier than fake pain." Adam replied, hitting Chase again, much to the younger boy's surprise. Bree laughed.

"Chase, you're a genius? Even I saw that coming." She commented. I smirked. Perfect. No one could tell that it was the fake Adam.

Leo's POV

Adam and I laughed as we watched the fake Adam hit Chase with his bo staff. "This is awesome!" I grinned. "They're totally buying duplicate you!"

"I know!" Adam agreed gleefully. "The only thing more fun than hitting Chase is watching me hit Chase."

I nodded, then remembered why we were up here. "Let the human bulls-eye bounce begin!"

Adam high-fived me before walking up to the mini-trampoline. "Okay, so it's as easy as it looks." He explained. "Jump as high as you can and try to land in one of the point circles."

"Cool. It's just like being at a real carnival." I grinned. Adam nodded.

"I know. I even covered the floor in popcorn and mystery goo." I glanced down at my feet, grimacing when I saw all the goo over my brand new sneakers.

"Thanks." I commented sarcastically, making a mental note to find out what that mystery goo was. Adam smirked, then hopped onto the trampoline.

"I'll go first!" He called, beginning to jump. "The key is to get a lot of bounce, then worry about accuracy."

His plan didn't exactly go so well, because the next thing I knew, Adam had crashed through the wall. Only his legs, dangling over the kitchen counter, could be seen from my end. "Quick! Get me down from here!" I heard him scream. For a second, I thought he was hurt. "I need to do that again."

I grinned. This was the best game ever!

Calla's POV

"Hey you." I greeted, skipping forward and giving Chase a quick peck on the lips as he walked into the lobby. "How'd your algebra test go?"

"Boring. Mr. Randal wouldn't let me play Plague Inc on my phone when I was done." He complained. "I had to sit there twiddling my thumbs for over an hour!"

I grimaced. "I never liked Mr. Randal myself either." I replied. I looked away from Chase at the sound of approaching footsteps. "Jay, Bree? What do you guys think of Mr. Randal?"

"You mean the control-freak that gave me four Fs last semester?" Jaden confirmed. I nodded. "Oh, I love him."

Bree rolled her eyes. "C'mon Jaden, he's not that bad." She replied. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she stared at something behind me and Chase. "You know what? We're just going to leave you guys alone…"

She started to back up, Jaden following her lead. Chase and I both frowned. "What are you guys doing?" Chase asked. We both turned around and came face to face a very unhappy looking Perry. "Oh. Now I get it."

"Hey, Hansel and Gretel." She greeted. I sighed.

"Morning Principal Perry." I replied back. She ignored my response.

"Listen. My niece is visiting from…uh…wherever she lives and I'm going to assign you two to be chaperone's for a couple of days." She informed us.

Chase and I both started searching for excuses. "Well, um…I can't. I'd love to, but I can't." "We are so sorry, but we're really busy for the next couple of days…"

"Oh, so cute. You think you have a choice." Perry smirked. Suddenly, a thought came to mind.

"Wait, why would you want us to show her around?" I questioned. "You can't stand us."

Perry smiled. "Oh, you've noticed." She seemed touched by that. "Look, my niece may be sweet and innocent, but if she hangs around the cool kids, they'll corrupt her. You're nerds and aside from the bionics, no one likes you. So that's why she's hanging with you." I sighed and rolled my eyes, much to Perry's amusement. "If it's not clear, let me spell it out. You. Are. Not. Cool."

"Yeah, we got it the first time." Chase muttered.

"Hi, Aunt Terry!" We turned to see a little girl, maybe twelve years old, walk up to us. She had dark hair, glasses, and was wearing a pink and white shirt. She seemed perky, a big difference from her aunt.

"Carrie, darling." Perry smiled. "This is…" She trailed off, trying to remember our names. "Give me a second…Kevin…and…Susan?"

I rolled my eyes. "Calla and Chase." I corrected. Perry shrugged and glanced at her niece.

"No one really cares." She informed the young girl. Carrie grinned and held out her hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Carrie Perry." She introduced herself, shaking our hands. "Thanks for showing me around. I hope it's not too much of a bother."

"No, no." Chase assured her. "We are happy to be forced to help."

I bit back a smirk. "Chase, be nice." I hissed. Perry nodded.

"Great. Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm headed to the chemistry lab to sear off a wart." She showed us the disgusting wart, then walked off, leaving us alone with Carrie.

"Bye Aunt Terry!" Carrie shouted after her aunt, before turning to us. In a second, her expression had turned from joyful and cheerful to just plain scary. "Here's the deal, ladies. I'm skipping school and hitting the mall. And when I get there, I'm going to plant a dead fly in my burrito and eat for free."

Chase looked stunned by her sudden change of personality. "I'm sorry Carrie, but as your chaperones, we can't-"

"SHUT IT, SQUAT MUG!" The little girl shouted. She looked him over. "The little elves called. They want you back at the tree to make cookies."

We both stared at the girl. "You can't talk to us like that!" I snapped at Carrie. She chuckled.

"I just did, boy hips." She retorted. I gasped, offended, then looked at Chase. He looked at me, clearly wanting to stay out of this. Carrie didn't wait for him to say anything. "I'm out of here."

"You can't just go!" Chase objected. I nodded.

"Yeah, what are we supposed to tell Perry? Except for the fact that she should round up some bail money." I muttered. Carrie slammed the books out of my hands.

"Tell her I was with you two nimrods all day!" Carrie snapped. "And you'd better do my homework, or else."

"Or else what?" I challenged. She smirked.

"Or else you'll get this." Her face turned into a mask of fake tears and distress. "Aunt Terry, they were so mean to me! Make them pay! Make them pay!"

Damn that little girl was good. And evil. Depending on your point of view. "So we good?" Carrie asked, smirking because she already knew the answer. "Later peeps."

We watched her go. "Okay, she is definitely a Perry." Chase decided. I nodded in agreement.

Leo's POV

"Hey Jaden." I greeted, sitting down at our usual lunchroom table. The football player nodded at me, taking a bite of his fajita while fake-Adam was preoccupied with his own food. "Where's Bree?"

"Ms. McMillan asked her to stay behind. Said something about helping with tonight's school play or something." Jaden shrugged and was about to say more when my phone went off. I quickly answered it, smirking when I realized who it was.

"Go for Dooley." I greeted. Adam's voice came out.

"Hey, how's it going?" He asked.

"Great, duplicate Adam is acting just like you." I replied, watching as said clone tired to build a tower out of hotdog wieners. "Although, he did get a D+ on your geography test."

"A D+?" The real Adam sounded horrified. "He better dial it back or we're going to get caught."

I shrugged. Probably not. I mean, there wasn't that much a difference between a D- and D+. "So, how's everything going at home?"

"Great. I'm just messing around with that nacho volcano Calla and I made for our science project." He replied. "Oh no! The cheese lava is coming! Run for your lives, people Jalapeñia!"

I rolled my eyes. "Just save some for me when I get home." I pleaded.

"No promises." Adam replied. "Hey, can I talk to me?"

I smirked and looked at fake-Adam. "It's for you." I told him, holding out the phone. He frowned.

"Who is it?" He asked, confused.

"You." I replied. Jaden looked between the both of us, confused as hell, but fake-Adam grinned.

"Hello?" He greeted, answering the phone. We couldn't hear the real Adam's responses, but fake-Adam's replies were loud and clear. "You're good. How am I?...Just so you know, I'm not so crazy about this whole school thing…What? How are you going to do that?...No way!" Fake-Adam looked at me. "I've got to go."

And with that, he fled from the room. With my phone.

"Dude!" I leapt to my feet, shouting after him, but he could hear me. I sank back into my chair and glanced at Jaden. "I'm never seeing that phone again, am I?"

"Sorry, I'm confused. What's going on?" He questioned. I sighed and quickly explained his sister's invention. He grinned once he understood what it could do. "Hey, could I borrow that when you're done?"

I frowned. "Why?"

He grinned deviously. "Mom finally agreed to me getting another tarantula. And since it was Calla's fault that I had to get rid of the last one, I think it's time for revenge."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to make a hundred tarantula clones then put them in her room, are you?"

His smirk grew. "I'm thinking more in the thousands."

I nodded, chuckling. "Just remember to video tape her reaction, will you?"

Jaden nodded eagerly. "Deal."

Calla's POV

Carrie finally came to find us after 4th period, an evil smirk on her face. I wanted to wipe that smirk right off her little face, but Chase stopped me, reminding me that punching a little kid would not reflect well on me.

"Math homework." He growled, handing the sheets to Carrie. "Geography homework. History homework."

I sighed and handed her a rolled up piece of paper. "And here's your art project. Don't expect an A."

"Don't expect a thank you." Carrie retorted, snatching the project from my hands. "Now give me twenty bucks."

Like hell I was going to do that! "For what?" I demanded.

"Milk shakes for me and my girls." She replied with a roll of her eyes. "Fork it over princess!"

Before I could say anything, she ripped a twenty out of my wallet. Chase laughed, much to my annoyance.

"You just got a shake down from a preteen." He chuckled. I glared at him, but as it turns out, I was not the only one unhappy with his comment.

"I'm thirteen, bumsweat!" Carrie growled. Chase looked at her.

"Were you raised by a gang of bikers?" He questioned. I crossed my arms, glaring at the girl. But only for a moment though, because then I saw Principal Perry enter the lobby.

"Okay, that's it. I'm done." I decided, storming over to Perry. Chase was hot on my heels. "Principal Perry, we need to have a little discussion about your niece."

"We sure do." She agreed. "She LOVES you two."

"What?" Chase questioned, confused. "That's impossible."

Perry nodded. "I know. I find you repulsive." She commented. "But thanks for watching Carrie. This morning, I got to spend an extra hour at the dog track!"

"Yeah, that's great, but-" I began, only to be cut off.

"So now, I need you to watch her tonight." Perry continued. "I'm playing flag football with the cops."

We both stared at her. Seriously? She was invited to the flag football game? Even Jaden and I weren't allowed to go, and we basically grew up around that police station! "And how do you get to play flag football with the cops?" Chase questioned, sensing my annoyance.

Perry shrugged. "You go to enough highway wrecks with free pizza and they let you in." She replied. "Anyway, if you watch Carrie, I just might forget about the detention days you've accumulated."

"What detention days?" I demanded. She smirked.

"You mouthing off? You just got detention!" She laughed gleefully. I stared at her.

"You can't do that!" I argued.

"I just did, Sally Sideburns!" She replied. I crossed my arms.

"No, no way. We are done-" I began, only for Chase to interrupt me.

"Can you give us just one moment?" He requested from Perry before leading me off into the corner. "Look, I know the girl is a nightmare. But if we do this, we just might get on Principal Perry's good side."

I looked at him. "Chase, the woman has many sides, but none of them are good."

"Calla…" He murmured, giving me a pleading look. I sighed.

"Fine. But you owe me for this." I muttered. He grinned and walked back over to Perry, who was stretching against the water fountain. She stopped once she saw that Chase and I had returned.

"We've discussed it." He informed her. "Carrie is more than welcome to come over tonight."

Perry laughed. "There you go again, acting like you have a choice." She resumed to stretch against the water fountain.

Leo's POV

It took Jaden and I a couple of hours to find Adam. When we did, we felt like idiots. Of course the one place we should have looked and didn't was the kitchen.

"Hey, where's duplicate Adam? I lost him at lunch!" I exclaimed, running in.

"Hey, don't worry." Adam assured me. "He came home so he could go ice fishing with me."

"What?" I questioned, confused. Adam grinned.

"It's a long story, but remember your goldfish Beyonce?" He inquired. My eyes widened, fearful about what else he had to say.

"Yeah?"

"She'll be joining us for dinner." He declared, holding up a smoking pan. My heart fell at his words. Dang. Beyonce was my favourite pet.

"Just tell us where the duplicate is." Jaden ordered. Adam rolled his eyes at the worry in Jaden's tone.

"Okay, relax. I just told him what Chase told me; unless you can be in two places at once, back to school."

"But he didn't go back to school." I reminded him. Adam looked confused.

"Then where is he?" He questioned. Our eyes widened.

Xxx

We burst into the lab to see a very peculiar sight.

Three Adams were already in the room. One was sitting on top of Calla's desk. The second one was spinning around in her chair. And the last one was standing by my desk, where Calla's cellular duplicator sat, lights blinking. Seconds later, another Adam, clearly just made, stood up from behind my desk.

"Holy crap." Jaden muttered. I glanced at him.

"What are we going to do?" I questioned, distressed. Our Adam just grinned.

"I don't know what you're going to do, but we're going to start a boy band." He decided, beginning to dance. His duplicates followed his lead, copying moves from Bree's BTR DVDs. Jaden looked at him.

"Wait, I thought there was only one duplicate?" he sounded confused. Immediately Adam stopped dancing and turned to his duplicates.

"Jaden's right. Which one of you are responsible for this?" He questioned.

"He is!" Three of the Adams pointed at the one in the chair. Said duplicate clone stood up.

"I only duplicated myself once because you said I had to go back to school!" He objected. Our Adam shrugged.

"I can't argue with that." He commented.

"Then the duplicate I made didn't want to go to school either." One of the clones continued.

"Again, it makes sense." Our Adam agreed. I looked at him.

"Adam, we have to do something." I hissed. Jaden nodded.

"And fast." He agreed.

The original Adam gasped, grinning. "I know! Let's make one more duplicate and make that one go to school!"

He stepped towards the cellular duplicator, but I got to it first. Lifting it above my head, I smashed it onto the ground, shattering the invention. Our Adam glared at me.

"You broke my me-maker!" He accused.

"And you fried Beyonce! We're even!" I snapped back. Jaden looked at me nervously.

"Calla's going to kill you, Leo." He stated the obvious. "When she finds out about this, she's going to bury you six feet under."

I nodded in agreement, although I didn't have the time to worry about that now. I looked at Jaden and Adam. "Okay, we need to get rid of those guys. I'll get Chase. Jaden, find the girls. Adam, you stay down here and watch them." I instructed.

Both Jaden and I bolted for the elevator, leaving all five Adams alone.

Calla's POV

"Bye Aunt Terry! Love you!" Carrie called out the front door. I rolled my eyes, leaning against the arm of the couch. Just as I expected, her attitude changed the moment Chase closed the door. "Ugh. Her car is disgusting. I don't know where the kitty litter ends and the cookie crumbs begin."

I shrugged. One thing you couldn't fault Carrie for – she hated Perry as much as the rest of us.

"Alright Carrie, you're on our turf now." I declared. "So we're not going to put up with you bossing us around."

Carrie laughed. "I'm not staying with you losers. I'm going to the skate park to throw marbles on the half pipe and sell ice packs in the parking lot."

"That is pure evil." Chase commented, his tone disapproving. Carrie shrugged.

"What you call evil, I call a lucrative side business." She commented. Suddenly, her phone beeped. "Oh, my taxi's here. Don't wait up."

And with that, the little demon walked out the door. Chase and I stood there for a moment, then I glanced at him. "Aren't you going to go after her?" I asked.

"Aren't YOU going to go after her?" He retorted. I sighed.

"Fine, we'll both go." I decided. However, before I could open the door, Bree sped into the room.

"Hey, what's the 911?" She asked, frowning. Chase and I exchanged looks.

"Huh?" I asked, confused. She pulled out her phone.

"Jay texted me. Said there was an emergency at the house and that I had to drop everything and come home." She replied. She gave me a look. "If he pulled me out of rehearsal just so he could surprise me…"

"Guys!" We turned to see Jaden and Leo running breathlessly into the living room. "We have a serious problem with Adam!"

"Uh, you'll have to be more specific, Jaden." Chase replied. Leo nodded.

"Yes, there are five of him." He informed us, showing five fingers. While everyone else was totally baffled, my mind went straight to my cellular duplicate. I sighed. Serves me right for showing it to Adam and Leo.

"Leo, what are you talking about?" Bree questioned. Ignoring her, I looked at Leo.

"Tell me he didn't make four copies of himself with my duplicator?" I pleaded. He nodded guiltily. Chase looked at me.

"Wait, I thought that was still in the testing phase." He said. I nodded.

"Yeah. And I tested it on your brother." I admitted. He gave me a stern look. "But hey, now we know it works."

Just then, Adam walked into the kitchen, a piece of paper in his hands. "Hey guys!" He called as he opened the fridge.

"Adam, what are you doing up here?" Jaden demanded. "You're supposed to be downstairs watching the other Adams!"

"Hello, they're our guests. It would be rude not to offer them drinks." He retorted before reading off his list. "Two waters, one OJ, and one berry-infused decaf green tea with soy milk on the side." He looked at us. "One of me is very high maintenance."

"Clearly." I agreed. I looked at the others. "Alright, down to the lab. Let's see how badly Adam and Leo screwed this up."

Leo's POV

When we walked into the lab, three of the Adams were playing rock, paper scissors. "More Adams?" Bree groaned. "We will never be able to air this place out!"

Adam rolled his eyes. "See guys? There's nothing to worry about. They're all here."

"I thought you said there were four duplicates!" Chase objected. Adam nodded, frowning.

"Yeah." He started counting and pointing. "One, two, three, four…uh-oh."

"Really?" Chase demanded, looking annoyed. Calla was quick to reassure him.

"Relax babe. I can easily reverse the duplication process with my…" She caught sight of her destroyed invention. "What did you morons do?"

She did not sound happy at all. "It was Leo's fault." Jaden stated, backing up slightly. Calla turned on me.

"You broke my invention." Her voice was deadly calm.

"Hey, that thing was squirting out an Adam every ten seconds! What did you want me to do?" I demanded. Calla looked ready to argue, but decided against it.

"Okay, once this is all done, I'm going to kill you." She decided. "But until then, I want all of you to go find the missing Adam! I'll get rid of these guys."

"How are you going to do that?" Jaden questioned. His sister smirked.

"Trust me, big bro, you don't want to know." She replied, still smirking. We all nodded, too afraid of her to argue, and ran for the stairs.

Leo's POV

It took me a while to find the missing Adam, but eventually I found him at the park, chasing after the ice-cream man. "Found him!" I called, pushing the clone into the house. Bree, Adam, Chase, Calla, and another Adam were already in the room.

"Found him!" Jaden called, walking out from the spare bedroom, another Adam following him. We all exchanged looks.

"Guys, what is going on?" Chase demanded. Calla nodded.

"Yeah, I already kil…got rid of," she changed her wording, aware of the looks the other Adam's were giving her, "the others."

"Yeah, I thought there was only supposed to be one Adam left." Jaden agreed. Suddenly, the elevator dinged. Out piled Adam, and Adam, and Adam, and more and more Adams. I did a quick head count once the elevator closed. Including the ones we'd brought into the room, there was a grand total of 18 Adams in the room. We all stared at them, too stunned for words.

"No, no!" Bree exclaimed. "I can not handle this many Adams! The world can not handle this many Adams! This is Armageddon!"

"Bree, you're overreacting." Jaden tried to soothe her. It didn't work.

"ARMAGEDDON!" She cried, glaring at him. Deciding that it was better to stay quiet, Jaden backed off. I frowned and looked at Calla, hoping she would have an explanation for this.

"This doesn't make sense." I said. "If there's one thing I'm good at, it's breaking things. And I definitely broke your duplicator."

"Well…" She trailed off uncertainly. "It's possible that the duplicates began to duplicate on their own."

"WHAT?!" We all shouted. Calla winced at the sound of our annoyance.

"Well, yeah. I figured it would be more efficient in case the machine was damaged." She replied with a shrug. Chase looked at her.

"Why didn't you tell us about this before?" He questioned. She gestured at Adam.

"It's Adam! I didn't think he'd figure it out!" She cried. Before anyone could argue with her, there was a knock at the door.

"Yoo-hoo! Anybody home?" That was Perry's voice. Calla and Chase froze.

"Oh crap." Chase muttered.

"Great. Just great." Calla said, starting to panic ever so slightly. "Now there are 18 Adams walking around and no Carrie!"

"Shh." Chase hushed her. "Let's just pretend we're not here."

We all stayed still, but it didn't work. "I heard that! My parents tried that last Christmas!" Sighing, Chase walked up to the door as Perry knocked harder. "Carrie, are you okay?" She demanded.

"Everything's fine. We just need a second." Chase lied. Perry didn't like that.

"Listen up, you little pigs. I've got a welding torch and a battering ram in my trunk. This can go easy, or this can go hard."

"Whatever." Calla muttered. She pulled a device similar to her Paragun out of her bag. She caught my stare and smirked. "Same tech as the Paragun, but instead of shooting capsules with a paralysing agent in them, it shoots out an electromagnetic wave."

To prove how effective her device was, she blasted it at the large group of Adams. They disintegrated before out eyes. Chase did a quick headcount.

"That's only 16. There's two left. Where are they?" He demanded. We all shrugged, unsure. Before anyone could answer though, we heard a voice coming from above us.

"Look out below!" Perry called. There was a thud, then smoke and ash flew out from our chimney. Perry stumbled out seconds later, covered in soot.

"Did you just shimmy down the chimney?" Jaden demanded, stunned. Perry nodded.

"It's okay. I'm a professional. I used to be a chimney sweep back in the nineties. I learned the hard way not to wear a skirt." She explained, much to our disgust. "Now, where's my niece?"

"She's just getting her things together." Calla came up with the excuse on the spot. "She'll be out any minute."

We all started nodding in agreement. "Hey guys." Adam said, walking up.

"What's up?" Another Adam came from the other direction. Both of them stopped beside the Adam that had been in the room first.

"Adams!" Chase hissed, staring at them. The three identical boys stared at each other, then looked at the rest of us.

"What's going on? Why are there three of you?" Perry demanded. Chase looked at her and came up with an idea instantly.

"You must have got some soot on your glasses." He said. It was true; her glasses were filthy. I followed my step-brother's lead.

"Yes, yes you did! Let's get those cleaned right off." I agreed, running up and taking the glasses from her. I led her towards the kitchen while the others dealt with the multiple Adams.

Calla's POV

Leo had been kind enough to deal with the Perry problem, distracting her by showing her all the meat in their fridge. Which left us to deal with the two-fake Adams and the real one. The problem? We didn't know which was which.

"Alright, who's the real Adam?" Jaden demanded.

"I am." All three answered in unison. Bree hit my arm to get my attention.

"What are you waiting for? Just zap all three of them." She requested. I shook my head.

"I can't." I replied. She looked confused, but Chase explained before she could ask.

"If she zaps the real Adam, the jolt of electricity could fry his bionic infrastructure." He explained. Bree shrugged.

"Well, you've got to zap two of them, so make a decision." She ordered. I bit my lip.

"The duplicates are perfect copies." I told her. "There's no possible way to figure it out."

"Let me try." Chase offered. He gave me a look. "You'll know who to shoot."

I smirked, curious as to what he had planned. "Okay, let's see."

Chase stepped away from us and stood in the middle of the three Adams. "Alright, whichever of you is the real Adam, show me what you've got."

The Adam on the left grinned. "Sweet!" He exclaimed, grabbing Chase by the back of his collar and throwing him through the air. Smiling at Chase's planned, I blasted the other two Adam and watched as they disintegrated.

"Good plan!" I called as Chase stumbled back into the kitchen/living room area. He gave Adam a look, but didn't say anything.

"Hey!" We looked back to the kitchen at the sound of Perry's voice. She was holding a package of meat. "Remember for the next time I come over. I like my salami spicy."

We gave her a thumbs up. "Got it." Bree agreed, not really meaning it. Perry put her glasses back on and looked around.

"Now, where is Carrie?" She questioned. Chase and I exchanged looks.

"See, the reason she's not…" "The truth is…" We began, but were soon spared by Carrie herself. Perry caught her sneaking back into the house.

"Carrie!" Perry exclaimed, catching the younger girl off guard.

"Aunt Terry! You're here!" She got back into character quickly though. "I was just taking a stroll on their lovely grounds and I must have gotten lost."

"So you're okay?" Perry confirmed. Carrie nodded.

"Okay?" She walked over to Chase and I and side-hugged us with strength that shouldn't belong to a girl her size. "These two have been wonderful to me! I'm just sad I'm not going to get to hang out with them anymore."

We certainly weren't.

"Well, then I have some good news." Perry replied. "I'm enrolling you at Mission Creek. So then you'll get to spend every day with…Steve…and…June…?"

"Calla and Chase!" Chase corrected. Perry laughed.

"Yeah, I still don't care." She chuckled.

Leo's POV

"Man, I love this movie." Adam laughed. As per our usual Thursday night tradition, the Parker siblings had come over to watch the weekly movie. This week, it being Calla's week to choose the film, the movie was Guardians Of The Galaxy. And it was pretty awesome.

Just as Chris Pratt began a dance-off with the main villain, there was a knock at the door. Quickly pausing the film, Adam got up to answer it.

"Pizza's here!" He called. We all looked to see which delivery guy had shown up. Usually, we got Steve, who often gave us discounts in exchange for a slice (not that bad a deal, besides, he was a cool dude) but this time, it was someone new. The new delivery guy looked just like Adam.

"A large meat-lovers for Adam?" The guy questioned. Adam nodded and handed him the cash.

"Thank you very much…Adam." He read off the name tag. We all looked at each other as our Adam closed the door.

"I'll grab the Electro-Magnetic Gun." Calla offered getting up along with the rest of us. Chase grabbed both his and her coats.

"You've got to think of a better name for that!" He called after her.

"What about EMG?" She questioned, allowing him to help her into her coat. He shrugged.

"Sure, not bad." He agreed. I rolled my eyes.

"C'mon love birds. It's time to find us another duplicate."


	29. Merry Glitchmas

Calla's POV

"So, what did you get the others for Christmas?" I asked curiously, helping Chase wrap a present. It was that time of year again. When gifts were given, when cookies were eaten, and when school let out for a whole two weeks. Christmas – the most wonderful time of the year.

Chase smirked at me. "You need gift ideas, don't you?" He guessed. I sighed.

"Yes." I admitted. "Christmas is in 3 days and I STILL don't have a present for Adam."

"I got him a Christmas colouring book." Chase offered unhelpfully. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm trying to get him a present that doesn't undermine his intelligence." I replied. He opened his mouth to speak, but I raised my hand, cutting him off. "And don't you dare say that he doesn't have any intelligence whatsoever."

Chase closed his mouth. "I wasn't going to say that." He grumbled unconvincingly. I laughed lightly. "So, what did you get everyone else?"

"Well, I can't tell you your present, but I got Bree some shoes, Mr. Davenport got a new mirror, Tasha got some make-up, Jaden got a Nurble, and Kieran's getting a new book on animals. I even got Glitch a new chew toy."

He frowned, noting that I missed someone on purpose. "What about Leo?" He asked. I smirked.

"His present is…special. It's not done yet, but I'm sure he'll agree that it's worth the wait." I replied, thinking about the gift. "And before you ask, it's a surprise."

Just then the door opened.

"Ho ho ho! Santa's here!" Mr. Davenport announced, walking in with a couple of bags in his hands.

Leo pointed at him. "I'm not sitting in your lap, just hand out the gifts."

Mr. Davenport chuckled, placing the bags on the table and opening them. "Presenting this holiday season's hottest new action figures…Adam, Bree, and Chase!" He pulled out three action figured that vaguely resembled our friends. Of course, they were delighted by the new action figures.

"Wow!" "Cool!" "TOYS!" They all cried, taking them from him. Just like kids, they sat down at the nearest table, playing with them.

"They're so cute." Tasha cooed. I nodded.

"Yeah. Plus, it's about time we get to sell this kind of merchandise." I added. Mr. Davenport nodded and turned to Adam, Bree, and Chase.

"Now that the world knows and loves you guys, a toy company was eager to put one of these in every kid's stocking. For a small licensing fee." Somehow, I doubted that the licensing fee was that small.

"Ahem." Leo interrupted, looking at Mr. Davenport expectantly. "Didn't they forget a certain someone?"

Mr. Davenport just looked at his step-son in confusion. "I'm just saying," Leo continued, "this face would look awesome in moulded plastic. It appears to children of all ages."

I bit back a laugh. "Sure it does, Leo. Sure it does." I commented. Mr. Davenport smirked at my comment, then looked at Leo.

"Leo, we agreed to keep your bionic arm a secret. Besides this is about Adam, Bree, and Chase." Mr. Davenport reminded him before pulling another action figure out of the bag. "And me!"

He began to play with his action figure. "You've got to be kidding me." I said, shaking my head at him. I wasn't the only one staring though, and after a moment, he stopped.

"What? It comes free with the set." He defended himself. Bree nodded.

"Right, because no one would actually pay for you." She replied with a smirk. Mr. Davenport chose to ignore her and went back to his bags. Leo went back to wrapping and I sat down on the floor between Chase and Bree.

"So, what do you think of the action figures?" I asked. Adam smiled.

"They're awesome, and look!" He picked up Chase's action figure. "Chase's is life-size."

Chase just smirked. "Oh, and look. Adam's head is hollow, just like the real thing."

Adam took his doll back, a hurt look on his face. "It's not hollow. It's filled with potential."

I smiled inwardly, remembering when I told him that. Him and Chase had been insulting each other, and Chase went a little too far (one of them usually does and then I'm left to fix things before it gets physical) so I'd tried to lift Adam's spirits. I was glad to know that he actually listened to me.

"Potentially? More like air." Bree muttered, beginning yet another argument between the three of them, this time about whose toy was better.

"Guys?" I tried to intervene, but was promptly ignored.

"Guys!" Tasha, however, was able to get their attention. "It's Christmas. This is a time to think about others, not yourselves. Which is why, famed TV reporter Tasha Davenport is hosting a charitable toy-drive at school."

We all looked at her. "Oh, it can be a little about me." She said. Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes.

"Of course is can, honey." He assured her, giving her a quick kiss before pushing her out of the way. "Now that that little self-involved side trip is over, check it out." He held up his phone. "Your action figures are now second place on the holiday gift best-seller list."

While Bree and I thought that was a good thing, Chase clearly disagreed. "Second place?" He repeated. "What's first?"

Mr. Davenport checked. "A toy called the Nurble." He replied, much to Chase's confusion.

"What the heck is a Nurble?" He questioned. He looked at the picture. "That? That's just a furry, orange ball."

"Yeah, who would buy that stupid thing?" Bree questioned. We looked over our shoulders to see Adam playing with the Nurble I'd bought for Jaden.

"Nurble, nurble, nurble, nurble…" He muttered under his breath before he caught us staring. "What? It has fur and rubber! What else do you need in life?"

"Give me that." I pulled the toy away from Adam. "That's for my brother."

"Fine." Adam sighed. I smiled, deciding to give the Nurble to Adam for Christmas while replacing Jaden's gift with a football and helmet. Yeah, that would work.

"Hey Donald." Tasha interrupted. "I bet the kids at the charity drive would love some of your old toys."

Mr. Davenport scoffed. "Tasha, they are not toys, they are scientific invention." Not particularly caring, Tasha ran off to find his toys, my boss following after her. "No! Stay away from my toys!"

Chase turned back to us. "The only reason the Nurble is out-selling us is because our action figured don't have any cool features." He decided. I looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"And a furry, rubber ball with one eye does?" I questioned, idly playing with it in my hands. Adam smiled.

"See? Calla gets it." He told Chase. Leo looked at us.

"Hey, you know what would make your toys number one?" He asked. "Drop a little dab of Dooley into that fun pack."

We all looked at him. "Or," Chase turned to the rest of us, "we can make better prototypes and get the toy company to sell them and then we'll be number one instead of the Nurble."

I rolled my eyes. "You guys are being ridiculous. Who cares if some toy is beating you?"

"I do." Chase replied, sounding slightly offended that I did not. "We're heroes. We should be number one. I don't see any furry rubber balls saving the world."

Adam looked at the Nurble in my lap longingly. "Nope, but they do bring the world joy."

"How?" Chase countered. Adam looked at me, his hand outstretched.

"May I?" He requested. Curious, I handed over the orange ball. He threw it at Chase, the toy hitting him really hard in the gut. Leo laughed loudly in the background. "See, joy!" Adam exclaimed, earning a high-five from Bree and a smirk from me.

Chase's POV

I was just finishing up with the action figures I heard footsteps down the hall. I looked over my shoulder to see Adam and Bree walking into the lab.

"Hey guys. I just finished improving our action figures with some cool new features." I announced, grabbing one of the toys. "Check out Adam's."

I pressed a button on the back and the action figure's eyes lit up red. "Activating heat vision." It announced.

I grinned, but Adam looked unimpressed. "Great, now show me the cool thing you added."

My smile fell slightly, but I wasn't done. I then grabbed Bree's. "And Bree's."

It only spoke. "Activating super-speed. Whoosh-whoosh, whoosh-whoosh."

Again, I got nothing. "Super speed!" I exclaimed, trying to convince them.

"Super no." Bree replied. I sighed and grabbed my own action figure. I pressed the button on the back.

"Calculating GPS coordinates!" It exclaimed. Again, my siblings did not seem to like them nearly as much as I did.

"Chase, how can I put this in a way that won't hurt your feelings?" Adam thought aloud. He took a deep breath. "You're the worst person that has ever been born and this is the biggest waste of time and money that I have ever seen."

Yeah, that wasn't hurtful at all. Note the sarcasm. "Chase, these are no better than the originals." Bree told me.

"Hello? Did you not hear the 'whoosh-whoosh, whoosh-whoosh'?" I demanded.

"Look, if you're going to try and improve these things, at least add some real super-speed to mine. Ooh! And super-agility! Oh! And hair extensions!" Bree exclaimed. Adam and I both stared at her. "Look, I'm just trying to keep it real."

Adam turned to me as she left. "Look, what I think Bree's trying to say is that our fans are awesome, so they deserve action figures that are awesome."

I looked at him, agreeing with him but out of ideas. "But they're toys!" I reminded him. "It's not like I can put actual bionic abilities in them."

"Sure you can." Adam encouraged me. "We have the lab, you have no life. Get to work."

He left, grinning to himself while I was stuck trying to figure out how to give the toys actual abilities.

Calla's POV

"I can't believe Mr. Landel gave us so much homework over the Christmas break." Leo complained. I nodded in agreement. It wasn't fair. Usually, I'd be doing my homework with Chase, but he was busy trying to improve their already pretty cool action figures, so I was left with Leo. Not a bad option, but Chase and I would have finished by now if it was the two of us.

"Hey guys. Come here." Mr. Davenport called, carrying a brief case into the room. Exchanging looks, Leo and I did as we were told.

"What's up, Big D?" Leo questioned as Mr. Davenport set the brief case down. He smiled.

"Well, since you guys have been working so hard this year, especially after the world found out about Adam, Bree, and Chase, so I got you guys something." He announced. Grinning ear to ear, we both looked at his briefcase curiously. He pulled out what looked like a mix between a blaster and a t-shirt cannon.

"What is it?" I asked eagerly. Mr. Davenport beamed.

"It's a high-speed snowball launcher." He announced. Leo smirked.

"Well it's a good thing we live in a place where it hasn't snowed in sixty years." He pointed out. Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes.

"It doesn't matter because this little baby freeze water instantly." He informed us. "All you have to do is fill up the tank and…" He aimed it at the wall, pulled the trigger and a large, white snowball flew at the wall, crashing into it with a thud. "…instant snowball."

Leo grinned. "It's about time you made something useful." He commented. Mr. Davenport chuckled.

"You know, I have two more launchers down in the lab. We can have an epic three-way snowball fight." He offered. Leo and I both looked at him.

"Yes." "It's so rare that the cow volunteers for the slaughter." We commented. Mr. Davenport looked at us.

"Lock and load." He said. We were about to get the other blasters when we heard Tasha call Leo's name. Mr. Davenport quickly changed his sentence. "Run and hide."

He shoved the blaster back into its case as Tasha walked down the stairs, carrying a large bag. "Leo, I hope you don't mind, but I collected some of your old toys for the toy drive."

"Sounds good, take them all." Leo really wanted his mom to leave. "See you later."

His mom smiled, then looked at Mr. Davenport. "Donald, can you pick my mother up from the airport today? I'm just swamped gathering all the donations."

"Yes, absolutely." Mr. Davenport opened the door, ushering Tasha outside. She looked at him suspiciously.

"Absolutely?" She repeated. "Last time I asked, you hid in the laundry hamper."

He looked offended. "Excuse me, but I wedged myself in the laundry chute. There's a difference." He pointed out. Tasha looked at him, amused. "But today I would be happy too."

"Thank you." Tasha replied before leaving. Mr. Davenport closed the door, smiling widely.

"Do anything to get you out of here faster." He finished, opening his case and pulling out his snowball launcher. "Re-lock and reload."

Suddenly, the door opened. Leo jumped on top of the case, closing it, while Mr. Davenport held the snowball launcher behind his back. "Oh and one more thing!"

"Oh!" Mr. Davenport cried out. Judging by the look on his face, he must have shot himself with a snowball. Tasha looked at him and he faked a smile. "Yes dear?"

"Please do not tell my mother about Leo's bionic arm." She pleaded. "She already flipped out about Adam, Bree, and Chase. If she finds out about Leo…I may not outlive her."

Mr. Davenport nodded. "You've got it. Absolutely no mention of Leo's bionic arm to Rose."

Tasha smiled. "Thank you. Bye." This time, she left for good.

The second she was gone, Mr. Davenport removed the snowball launcher from behind his back, shuddering a little. "I thought she'd never leave. Okay, you guys go get the other launchers from the lab."

As we ran towards the lab doors, a sudden cold force hit us from behind. We both stopped, turning around to face a very giddy Davenport. "Sorry, I think those two slipped out."

Leo pulled a bit of snow out of his hoodie. He looked at me and I nodded. "You are about to have a very white Christmas."

Without looking away from him, we each pulled a snowball launcher out from behind the kitchen counter. Mr. Davenport was surprised. "Where did you get those?" He demanded. Leo smirked.

"Do you even know me? I always open my Christmas presents early!" He exclaimed. I locked my snowball launcher and glanced at Leo.

"Team up until we destroy Mr. Davenport?" I suggested. He grinned and nodded. Mr. Davenport paled and ran. We laughed, chasing after him with snowballs flying through the halls.

Chase's POV

I stood proudly in front of my action figures. "The Nurble stared down at us from its perch on the number one spot." I began my speech. "But we would not back down. No, we wouldn't! Because we're strong!"

"And bored." Adam added. "Get on with it."

I nodded, not at all bothered by his lack of enthusiasm. "Alright. Now watch what happens when I press this button."

I pressed the button on the back of Adam's action figure and from its eyes shot a blast of heat vision, melting through a piece of sheet metal I'd set up on the other side of the room. "Cool!" Adam grinned. "I wish I could do that."

I grinned. "And check this out." I pressed the button on the back of Bree's action figure and it sped across the room, almost as fast as she could.

"Look at that little mama go!" Bree laughed, delighted. "You are going down Nurble!" She then saw the looks on our faces. "Not that I care, because I don't."

I crossed my arms, a proud smirk on my face. "Watch this." I pressed the button on the back of my action figure and it flew into the air, circling around our heads a few times. '"So realistic, right?"

They both looked at me in confusion. "You can't fly!" Adam pointed out. I glared at him.

"Toy Me can fly, end of discussion." I snapped. Suddenly, Bree stared at something above us.

"Look out!" She cried. We all ducked down low as my action figure flew right at our heads. It missed, but did not go back to the table like I'd planned. "Chase, kids can't play with these toys. They're too dangerous."

I gave her a look. "Come on! They're not that dangerous." Just as I said that, Adam pressed the button on his action figure and a burst of heat vision started burning my hair. He quickly let go of the button as I fixed my hair. "Okay, I see your point."

Bree gave me a look, which I ignored. "Just put them in here." I grabbed a box off the ground and began to drop the toys in it. "I'll get rid of them."

"Aw, but I like mine." Adam objected. He then pressed a button and his own action figure shot heat vision at him. "Ow!" Adam shouted as it burned his chest. "Traitor!"

With an annoyed and angry look on his face, he threw the action figure into the corner of the room. It then chose that moment to spontaneously combust. We watched in surprise. "Yeah, you should probably get rid of those." Adam commented, brushing off his now slightly-burnt shirt.

Calla's POV

"Give it up guys!" I heard Mr. Davenport call as he walked down the stairs. Both Leo and I were hiding. He was behind the kitchen counter, while I had ducked under the stairs. Mr. Davenport stepped right into my line of fire. "You can run, but you can't-" two snowballs hit him at the same time, one from in front of him, the other from behind, "hide!"

"Bulls-eye!" I cheered, climbing out of my hiding spot. Leo stood up from behind the counter.

"And that's pretty impressive considering how small the target is." He commented. I laughed along to that, while Mr. Davenport glared at us and aimed his launcher at Leo. Leo aimed back, but stopped when his launcher made a weird noise.

"Time out!" He called. "My launcher's stuck. It's making snowballs, but it's not launching them."

Mr. Davenport smirked. "I'm sorry. All I'm hearing is sitting duck."

"Don't you dare." I aimed my launcher at Mr. Davenport. "Shoot him, and you'll get a face full of snow, sir."

Mr. Davenport spun around, choosing to attack me with the snowballs. Unable to run very far, I ducked beneath the stairs again. "Leo! Some help here would be nice!" I called.

"That's it!" Leo exclaimed. "I don't need this launcher. I have bionics."

The snowballs attacking me stopped. "No fair! You can't use your bionic arm!" Mr. Davenport objected. Suddenly, the door opened just as Leo threw a snowball.

"Bionic arm?" It was Rose Dooley, Leo's grandmother. The snowball that Leo threw flew right by her, putting a hole in the door. We all froze, realizing what we'd just done.

The older woman put a hand on her hip, glaring at Mr. Davenport. As quietly and quickly as I could, I snuck out of under the stairs, only stopping when I was at Leo's side. "Rose!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed, pulling out his phone to check the time. "I'm not supposed to pick you up from the airport until…two hours ago."

Leo was freaking outs beside me. "Did I just see what I think I saw?" Rose demanded. Mr. Davenport panicked for an answer.

"If you need me, I'll be in the laundry chute!" He decided, trying to run away. Leo and I stopped him before he could. No way was he getting out of this.

Chase's POV

"Hey guys!" I ran back into the lab. "I think I've figured out a way how to top the Nurble. Instead of giving them real bionic abilities, we can just gi-" I looked in the box where our toys should be, but it was empty. "Hey, what happened to the action figures?"

Adam smiled. "I don't know about mine, but yours is probably off somewhere doing homework."

I looked back at the box, confused. "I don't get it, they were right here." I looked at the others for an explanation, then sighed loudly. "Bree, can you get off your phone? This is important!"

"Yeah, I know." She showed us her phone. It was open to Facebook, where Tasha had posted a picture of herself with our action figures. It read: At the toy drive, giving is so much fun.

"No, no!" I exclaimed. "Tasha took our toys to the toy drive! Those things are deadly weapons!"

Adam jumped to his feet. "Don't just stand there Chase! Fly us to school!" Then he stopped. "Oh, wait."

I glared at him before running out the door. We had to get those toys before they hurt anyone.

Xxx

We ran into the school, looking around in a panic. "Tasha!" I exclaimed, catching sight of her. She was standing behind a table, Kieran beside her, handing out cookies to some little kids.

"Hey guys. What a wonderful surprise." She smiled when she saw us. Kieran glanced up.

"Hey, are you guys here to volunteer too?" He asked, an easy-going smile on his face. Bree looked at him like he was crazy.

"Of course not!" She snapped. Kieran raised an eyebrow at that, but Bree ignored him, turning to Tasha. "Where are the action figures?"

"I just handed them out to the kids." Tasha replied, gesturing at the gym.

"What?" Bree demanded in horror. "Why would you do that?"

Tasha looked surprised. "I assumed you left them in that old box to donate. The kids just love them. Mostly because we ran out of Nurbles."

Biting my lip, I ran towards the gym. "We have to get them back."

"Why?" Kieran's voice came from behind us. I turned to glare at him, hoping he would go away, but he didn't back down. "If something's wrong, I'd like to help."

"We may have tried and failed to improve them." Bree admitted. Kieran frowned.

"What do you mean?" He asked. Before anyone could answer him, a heat ray burst from one of the Adam action figures, burning away one of the table's legs. It hit the ground, unable to stay up with only three legs. "Never mind."

"This is a disaster!" I snapped angrily. Adam nodded.

"Yep." He agreed. He turned around. "I'm going to go buy a Nurble."

"Don't you dare." Bree grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the gym. Unfortunately, instead of minding his own business and staying out of this, Kieran decided to follow us.

Calla's POV

"Bionic arm?! BIONIC ARM?!" Rose screamed at us. We all looked at her, fearful. I could stand up to Douglas, easy. Even to Marcus if he ever came back. But stand up to Leo's grandmother? No way. She scared the shit out of me.

"Leo, I want you to tell me what's going on and don't you lie to me." She ordered. Leo stammered a single word out before she cut him off. "That's a lie."

"Well-"

"That's another lie." She accused. Leo stared for a moment, before fake-tears filled his eyes.

"I'm just a child. I don't know what's going on." He sobbed. Immedietly, his grandmother's expression went from angry to concern. Dang, that boy was good.

"What are you doing?" Mr. Davenport hissed. Leo looked at him from behind his hands.

"She already hates you. I can still get out of this alive!" He whispered back. Rose suddenly pushed Leo and I behind her and advanced on Mr. Davenport.

"What have you done to my sweet grandbaby, you evil little elf?" She demanded furiously. Mr. Davenport looked at her, offended.

"Little?" He repeated, hurt. Rose turned to Leo.

"You know, I knew it was a bad idea for you to live in this crazy, techno-science house with Doctor Jeckle and Mister-" she turned on Mr. Davenport. "You'd better hide!"

"Grandma-" Leo began. She interrupted him.

"Don't you grandma me!" She snapped. I cleared my throat.

"Mrs. Dooley," I tried, only to be interrupted.

"Stay out of this, Kayla!" She snapped.

"It's Calla." I corrected under my breath, but either she ignored me or just didn't hear me.

"He's turned you into some sort of robot-Frankenstein!" Rose cried, looking at Leo. "Look at you! Half human, half phonograph."

"Phonograph?" Leo repeated. I raised my hand nervously. Rose rolled her eyes.

"Yes?" She demanded.

"What's a phonograph?" I asked. She let out a large sigh.

"See! This is the problem with you kids growing up in this kind of environment! You don't know what half the important stuff is and this one-" she gestured at Mr. Davenport, "turns you into freaks!? Did he put some machinery in you too?"

I backed up slightly, shaking my head.

"Rose, I didn't give Leo bionics! It was my brother!" Mr. Davenport explained. Rose spun on her heel to face him.

"Still your flesh and blood! You know what? Let me get my hairdryer. I'm going to put some machinery in you!"

She reached in her bag while Mr. Davenport pulled us both to the side. "Guys, back me up here!" He begged.

"If you resist, it will hurt more. It's better to just give in." Leo suggested.

"Is it also better to just throw me under the bus?" My boss retorted. I looked at him.

"Bus? That woman is a bullet train!" I informed him, dead serious.

"Forget the hairdryer!" We turned to look at Rose. "I found my flatiron. I don't know what it can do, but we're about to find out."

Leo's grandmother had a gleeful look on her face as she chased Mr. Davenport around the house with her flatiron.

Chase's POV

The toy fair was a disaster. Heat vision rays were blasting everywhere, Bree action figures were speeding across the floor, and my action figures were like missiles in the air, targeting every child's head.

I leapt into the air, trying to catch one of my action figures, only for it to slip between my fingers. Kieran dove at a Bree action figure, but also missed.

"This isn't working!" He stated the obvious.

I looked at him. "You think?" I demanded before diving behind the sleigh sitting in the middle of the room. Adam, Bree, Kieran and Tasha followed my lead.

"I knew this day would come." Adam spoke before I could. "First the toys attack the humans, then they recruit the refrigerators and microwaves to seal our doom."

"Hey, that would make a pretty good plot to a Toy Story movie." Kieran joked. Adam looked at him.

"We need to stop this!" He shouted. I nodded.

"Obviously the Adam figures are the most dangerous." I said. "So we need to get those out of the kids' hands first."

"The flying Chase's are a close second though. I'll get those for you." Kieran offered. I looked at him.

"Really?" I questioned. He nodded.

"You may not like me, but I can still give you a hand. Besides, I don't want to see one of these kids get hurt." He pointed out. I nodded.

"Neither do I." I growled. "But I just don't see how you can take care of them yourself."

The corners of Kieran's mouth pulled up in a small smile. "I've got a couple of tricks up my sleeve." He assured me.

"Uh, guys?" Tasha cut me off before I could ask what kind of tricks he meant. "What's wrong with the Bree figure?"

We looked to see one of the Bree action figures standing nearby, shaking violently. "Oh no. I made them too perfectly." I exclaimed.

"What does that mean?" Tasha demanded.

"She's glitching just like we do." I explained. "The bionics are burning out the motor."

Suddenly, the Bree doll exploded. People started screaming, even the Santa Claus actor. "Okay, change of plans. Bree dolls are more important than mine or Adam's. Go for those first." I instructed. Bree nodded and sped off to find them. Adam ran off to find his and Kieran went to deal with two stray Chase figures that escaped into the hall. I was about to follow him when Tasha grabbed my arm.

"What did you do to these toys?" She demanded. I looked at her innocently.

"Made them better?" I replied uncertainty. She gave me a death glare before running off. I ran to deal with the rest of the dolls in the room.

One of the my action figures focused on me, obviously targeting my head. Thinking quickly, I backed against a wall, jumping away at the last moment. It crashed into the wall, exploding upon contact. "You know what? Let's just get them all!" I decided.

It took us several minutes of dodging and crushing our action figures to get them all. By that point, all the children had fled the room along with Tasha, leaving only me, Adam, and Bree. Frowning, I did a head count. "I only count six. We're missing three."

"Make that eight." Kieran announced, walking back into the room. Two Chase dolls were clutched in his hands, broken. I stared at him, surprised.

"How'd you grab them?" I demanded. It was hard enough for us to stop them and we were bionic. Kieran was just…Kieran.

The boy smiled and tossed them to me. "You're welcome."

"But where's the last one?" Bree questioned, looking around. We heard Adam's voice come from the hall.

"Found him." He called. We stepped into the hall to see a very strange showdown. Real Adam VS Toy Adam.

The two glared at each other, the toy shaking slightly as it glitched. "Adam, be careful." I warned. "He's unstable."

"So am I!" Adam snapped. He looked at the toy. Then, the action figure Adam shot a heat blast at him. The real Adam dropped to the floor, dodging the blast, and then shot a blast at his doll. The toy melted within seconds.

"Nice job!" "You nailed it!" "Way to go!" We all called. Adam ignored us, lifting the pieces of his doll off the ground.

"Why must you always hurt the ones you love?" He asked sadly.

Suddenly, Tasha appeared behind us. "I'm going to need you guys to clean this up." She decided, gesturing at the mostly destroyed gym.

Adam looked at her. "Tasha, it's Christmas. Stop thinking about what you need and start thinking about others." He advised. The death glare was his only response.

"Let's just do as she asks." Bree suggested. We nodded and began to follow her into the gym.

"I'll be right there!" I called after her, pulling Kieran off to the side.

"What's up?" He asked, confused. I sighed.

"Thank you for your help, but we've got it from here." I told him. Kieran gave me a look.

"Seriously dude? What's your problem?" He questioned, crossing his arms. "I don't know what I did to get on your bad side, but I can't apologize unless you tell me."

I shook my head, not answering him. Then he let out a short laugh. "Oh, wait, I know what this is about." He said. "This is about Calla."

"Leave her out of this." I told him. He nodded.

"So, I'm right." He decided. He sighed. "Chase, if you think I'm trying to take her from you, or that I even have those kinds of feelings for her, I don't. She's my friend, but that's it. I'm not trying to get in the middle of you two, and if you feel that I am, I'm sorry."

I sighed. "You give me bad vibes." I began.

"Clearly." Kieran agreed. "Not sure why though. Was it something I did?"

"I'm not sure either." I admitted. " But until I figure that out, I don't trust you around Calla."

"She doesn't like being told what to do, you know that." He reminded me. I nodded.

"I know. So, I figured we'd make a deal." I continued. Kieran looked curious.

"What kind of deal?" He asked, intrigued.

"I'll try to give you the benefit of the doubt that you're just a normal kid and that the bad vibes are nothing but my imagination." I started. Kieran smiled.

"I'm liking this deal." He told me. I raised an eyebrow.

"But if you ever hurt Calla in any way, I will come after you." I promised him. He gave me a look.

"Do you threaten everyone on Christmas, or am I just special?" He asked. I narrowed my eyes at him. "It's a deal."

"You sure?" I challenged. He nodded, frowning.

"Chase, in case you haven't noticed, Calla's my friend. And I don't intentionally hurt my friends." He pointed out. "So we good?"

I thought about it, then nodded. "We're good." I agreed, heading into the gym.

Calla's POV

After about twenty minutes, Rose was still trying to use her flatiron on Mr. Davenport. "Leo, Calla, help! Tell her it's not my fault!" My boss cried, trying to escape her. I looked at Leo.

"She won't listen to me, I'm not her grandbaby." I reminded him. Rose glared at Mr. Davenport.

"You can blame whomever you want, but this only happened because of one reason." She stated.

"Because you overreacted and have anger issues?" Mr. Davenport guessed.

"No." Rose wasn't amused. "You're a bad father."

We all stared at her, for much different reasons. I was surprised that she would go that far. Mr. Davenport actually looked hurt by her statement. As for Leo…well Leo looked really upset.

"What?" He questioned, stepping forward. Rose looked at him.

"You heard me! He's a bad father." She exclaimed. Leo sighed.

"Okay, that's it." He decided. "Grandma, you can yell at him for a lot of things. He's egotistical, immature-"

"Handsome." Mr. Davenport added.

"-delusional." Leo continued. "But my point is he's not a bad father."

"It's okay, Leo." Mr. Davenport assured him, but he did seem really bothered by the comment.

"No, it's not." Leo argued. Rose looked at Leo.

"Don't you dare talk back to your grandmother. That is disrespectful!" She snapped. I honestly expected Leo to back off. I mean, I've seen Rose tell him what to do and scare him hundreds of times before. But this time, it was different.

"What's disrespectful is you still treating me like I'm seven." He pointed out.

Rose scoffed. "So, what are you now, eight?"

Leo sighed. "I'm sixteen." He told her.

"Sixteen?" She repeated, stunned. She then shrugged. "Well you look eight."

Leo followed her as she went to put the flatiron back in her bag. "Look Grandma, he is the best father I could ask for. And yes, I have a bionic arm because of his technology. But that technology will also allow me to help people."

"How?" Rose questioned.

"Well I could lift a car off of someone. I could punch through a wall and rescue some people." He listed. "I could power you through the lines of shoppers on Boxing Day."

"Keep talking." Rose urged him. I bit back a chuckle.

"Look, I'm not a little boy anymore. So I'm not going to walk on eggshells around you for the rest of my life." He told her. She looked at him, surprised.

"Wait a minute, are you standing up to your grandmother?" She questioned, getting in his face.

"Yes I am." He agreed, trying to back up a little. "If you're okay with that." He added.

To all of our surprise, Rose smile. "I guess you have become a man." She murmured. "Look, I still don't approve of you having that bionic arm, but I love you so I guess I'll just have to learn to accept it. And we will be going shopping on Boxing Day."

"Definitely." Leo promised her. She smiled.

"Come here." She instructed, pulling him into a big hug.

"Thanks Grandma." Leo said, pulling away a second later. "But I think the person you should really be hugging is him."

He gestured at Mr. Davenport, who held his arms out. "Bring it in, Rose." He smiled. Rose sighed.

"Well, it is Christmas." She decided before hugging him. Then she turned to Leo.

"Tell me one thing, Leo. Why did you need a bionic arm in the first place?" She asked. I grinned, leaning forward against the kitchen counter.

"Well, it's a long story. A ceiling beam fell on him while a bionic madman was trying to kill us for the third time." I explained. Then I saw the looks on their faces. "Oh. I wasn't supposed to tell her that, was I?"

"Give me that gun!" Rose pulled the snowball launcher out of Mr. Davenport's hands. "You're about to eat a whole lot of snowballs."

She once again began to chase him through the house. Suddenly, my phone vibrated. Glancing at the caller ID, I answered.

"K-Dog!" I grinned. "What's up?"

"Hey Calla, are you busy?" Kieran asked.

"No, just hanging out with Leo. Why, what's up?" I inquired.

"I think you should come down to the school. And bring a camera." There was a smile in his voice.

"Why?" I asked, confused.

"You're going to want to see what Chase is doing." He told me before hanging up.

I looked at Leo, confused, then grabbed my coat.

Chase's POV

Since it was our fault that the toy drive was ruined, we came up with an idea to cheer the kids up. Maybe not my best idea, but it was a good one. Real-life action figures.

Adam was letting the kids direct his laser vision at plastic Frisbees. Bree was giving kids piggy back rides across the highway. As for me, kids were grabbing at my arms, trying to make me fly.

"For the last time, I can't fly!" I exclaimed. The kids rolled their eyes and ran off to find Bree and Adam, leaving me alone. Suddenly, there was a tug on my hand.

"Mister Chase?" It was a little girl with blonde hair, maybe around the age of five. She looked up at me, her blue eyes large.

"Hi there." I greeted. She frowned.

"You said you can't fly." She told me. I nodded.

"Sorry about that." I apologized. She frowned, then grinned widely.

"Can I have a ride on your shoulders instead?" She begged, cocking her head to the side like a cat. I chuckled, then nodded.

"Sure thing." I grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up onto my shoulders. She grinned, her hands lying on top of my head. Suddenly, there was a bright flash.

"Calla?" I blinked, staring at my girlfriend. She was grinning, a camera in front of her eyes.

"Say cheese!" She called, pressing the button.

"Cheese!" The little girl smiled back. Calla looked at the photo.

"Okay, that's a keeper." She decided.

"Emily!" A voice called from the hall. The girl tapped my head.

"That's my mommy" She informed me. I nodded and set her down on her feet. Instead of running off, she pulled me close and whispered in my ear. "Your girlfriend is really pretty."

I chuckled, looking up at said girl. "I know." I agreed, watching as Emily ran off to find her mom. Calla elbowed me gently in the ribs.

"That was adorable." She told me. I nodded.

"Yeah, cute kid." I agreed. Calla smiled.

"I always liked the name Emily." She commented. "If we have a daughter, we're naming her Emily."

"Yes m'am." I agreed. Calla laughed, grabbed my hand, and started pulling me down the hall. "You want to tell me where we're going?" I asked, still smiling.

Calla looked back at me, a playful look in her blue eyes. "You and I are going to find some mistletoe. And then maybe a closet to make out in."

"Sounds fun." I replied. Despite everything that had happened, this Christmas had ended pretty well.


	30. Mission: Invisible

Chase's POV

"More reporters?" Leo complained as Mr. Davenport drove past our house. Since it had been six months since the world found out about our bionics, and since they'd been working so hard to deal with the new situation, Tasha had suggested we go out for dinner. We'd picked up Calla along the way and went to Montana's, one of the best restaurants nearby. But now that we were home, we could see the lights of reporter trucks at the front of the house.

"Why don't we drop Calla off at her house, Donald?" Tasha suggested. "Maybe they'll be gone by time we get back."

"Tasha, it's fine. I can walk." Calla offered. Tasha shook her head.

"I don't want you two trying to get past them on your own." She told the younger girl. None of us really disagreed. Like me, Calla and Jaden had been getting some of the press' attention for being so close to our family. It had been worse at the beginning, when some reporters had tried to interview them on what it was like dating bionic people, and of course, the whole kidnapping thing with Kieran. Although it had cooled down a bit, it was still a little crazy. Calla sighed in defeat.

"This is ridiculous." She commented, looking at the lights over my shoulder. She smiled softly. "I can't believe it's been six months though."

"I know." Bree agreed. She looked at the rest of us. "Remember all those times that we struggled to keep it a secret?"

We all nodded, remembering a specific time when Principal Perry nearly found out…

FLASHBACK

Calla's POV

I groaned in frustration when I saw the size of the line in the school hobby. Principal Perry had recently introduced a new system in which she personally searched out bags for cell phones and other 'forbidden' items. Now, I could understand if she suspected that one of us had drugs or a weapon, but she was obviously just doing this to make our lives miserable.

"This is ridiculous." Bree complained as I got into line behind her. I nodded in agreement, pulling my cell phone out of my bag and shoving it into the pocket on the inside of my jacket. No way was I letting Perry steal this from me. Bree nodded at me. "Good idea." She commented, putting her phone in her back pocket. We watched as Leo handed his bag over to our principal.

She ripped it open and pulled out his cell phone. "Aha! Cell phones are a violation!"

Leo looked at her. "I think you sticking your hand in my backpack is also a violation."

Perry ignored his comment. "Planning on texting your girlfriend in class?"

"I don't have a girlfriend." He pointed out. Perry nodded.

"Well now you don't have a cell phone either." She tossed it into the bucket to her left. "Bye-bye."

With a sigh, Leo stepped out of line to walk over to Adam and Chase. Bree was next. She smirked at Perry as she placed her bag on the table. "You're not going to want anything in here. It's just stuff that improves your hygiene and appearance."

I bit back a chuckle, although Perry didn't seem to find it as amusing as we did. "Mocking my porcelain Irish skin?" She questioned. "Back of the line, princess!"

Glaring at Perry, Bree grabbed her backpack and stormed to the back of the line. I placed my bag on the table, forcing myself not to make a smart-ass comment. Perry began to open it just as a large gust of wind blew from behind us. Perry frowned. "Where'd that breeze come from?" She asked. I watched as Bree suddenly appeared next to her brothers and sighed.

"I have no idea, Principal Perry. Can I go now?" I asked impatiently. She sighed and shoved my bag back into my hands. I ran over to join my friends as soon as I was out of the line.

"Seriously, can we put a bell on her?" Leo was saying. Chase nodded.

"Yeah. You need to be more careful about your super agility. Someone's going to see you using your bionics." He warned.

"No one ever sees me!" Bree objected. "I mean, you didn't see me steal your wallet."

She held up a wallet just as Chase checked his pockets. He glared at her. "Oh, you're good." He admitted, swiping back his wallet. He looked inside, then at her. "Okay, there was a fifty dollar bill in her a few minutes ago. What did you do with it?"

Before Bree could answer, Principal Perry stalked over to us. "Hey!" She exclaimed, looking directly at Bree. "How'd you get past my checkpoint? I sent you to the back of the line!"

Bree bit her lip nervously. "That wasn't me." She lied.

"It must have been somebody else." Chase agreed, trying to help her out. Adam nodded.

"Somebody who can't climb ceilings." He told her. Perry gave us all harsh looks.

"You lot have an answer for everything, don't you?" She asked. Chase and I exchanged looks, then smirked.

"We don't like to brag, but the answer to that is…" I pointed at Chase.

"Yes." He finished. Perry didn't look amused.

"There's one thing I pride myself on." She began. Bree interrupted her before she could finish.

"Your incredible sturdy calves?" She suggested.

"No!" Perry glared at her. "My instincts. And my instincts are telling me that you three are trouble."

Adam looked offended. "Well, I don't like your instincts at all. And you can tell them I said that."

I sighed, mentally reminding myself to explain what instincts were to Adam later. "Principal Perry, they really aren't doing anything wrong." I told her. She gave me a look.

"I can't put my finger on it, but ever since they arrived, strange things have been happening here. And the only strange thing I'll tolerate is the janitor, Gary."

We looked at the bearded man mopping the floor. "Why?" Leo dared to ask.

"I have to." Perry sighed. "He's my cousin."

We watched as a bunch of repair men walked in, carrying toolkits and a ladder. "What's going on?" I asked, confused.

"They're ventilation repair men. They've come to check on the strange winds that have been blowing around here for months." Perry explained, running over to talk to them. We all turned on Bree, the source of these 'strange winds'.

"She's talking about you." Chase hissed. "You're the mysterious wind."

Bree rolled her eyes. "The only mysterious wind around here comes from Adam."

Just then, Jaden walked over to us, looking slightly peeved. I looked at my older brother, confused as to what would put him in such a bad mood. "What's up, Jay?"

He grimaced. "Guess what tonight is." He told me. I frowned.

"I'm guessing that it's not taco night." I guessed. He shook his head.

"Parent Teacher night." He informed me. "Which means tomorrow is 'we're all grounded' day."

Leo and I both groaned in annoyance, while Adam, Bree, and Chase looked confused. Of course they were – they'd never even heard of Parent Teacher night before. "You've got to be kidding me." Leo complained. I patted his shoulder.

"Relax, I've got money stashed in my locker for emergencies like this. We'll go buy them all apples or something during break." I assured him. I nodded at my brother. "Thanks for the heads up. Are we doing the usual?"

Jaden nodded. "Yep." He looked over my shoulder. "Oh, gotta go. There's a new cheerleader at the school, Melanie, and Trent wants me to get rid of her annoying friends so he can flirt with her."

I shook my head as he ran off. Leo looked at me. "What was that last bit about?"

"Oh, whenever there's a Parent Teacher night coming up, Jaden and I cook dinner for our mom and make sure all the chores are done. Tends to get us a more lenient punishment for whatever our teachers say about us."

Leo nodded in understanding, but the others still looked confused. "What the heck is Parent Teacher night?" Chase looked genuinely worried, as he should.

"It's when teachers tell your parents every bad thing you've done." Leo explained. I nodded.

"Yeah. Forgetting homework, skipping class…" I glanced at Leo, a smirk appearing on my lips. "Staging a protest for better bathroom soap."

"Hey!" Leo snapped. "You're all benefiting from my rebellion."

For once, it was Adam that pointed out a serious issue. "If Perry tells Davenport about the strange things she's seen, he'll know we've been using our bionics and he'll pull us out for sure."

"Then we can't give her any evidence." Chase decided. "No one uses their bionics. That means no super strength, no heat vision, and no super speed."

Both Adam and Bree looked at him in annoyance. "Well that's just crazy!" Bree objected. "What do you expect me to do, walk?"

"Kinda, yeah." Chase replied. Leo just looked at them.

"Just do what I do – kiss up to all your teachers." He suggested. "My mom said that if they all have nice things to say about me-"

"Well, that's never going to happen." I muttered.

"-she's going to let me go to the big concert I've been looking forward to, the Rift Raft Jammy Jam!"

Leo danced a little when saying it's name, getting the others excited. Too excited in Chase's case.

"I want to go to the Rift Raft Jammy Jam!" He exclaimed, beginning to dance. It wasn't terrible at first, but as he continued, it became unbearable to look at. I grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.

"Not with moves like that." I told him. Suddenly, Leo smirked.

"Watch this." He whispered. "Miss Wompkins?!"

Our history teacher stopped at the sound of her name, and Leo grinned. "Wow, that hair cut is really working for you." He told her, sounding sincere. "I thought you were Angelina Jolie!"

"Thank you, Leo!" She smiled at him before walking into the cafeteria. Leo looked back at us.

"That should be good for a C+." He decided. Chuckling, I rolled my eyes.

"We're still buying everyone apples, aren't we?" I guessed. He nodded.

"Yep." He agreed.

Chase's POV

Adam, Bree, Calla and I watched in amusement as Leo bribed his first period, second period and fourth period teachers with shiny, red apples. It was pathetic, it really was. But rather amusing for us at the same time. Meanwhile, the food line we were in didn't seem to be moving any faster.

"Gross!" Adam suddenly complained. We turned to see him glaring at his hotdog. "This hotdog isn't even hot! And don't get me started on the fact that it's not even a dog!"

He glared at it again, and for a second I thought he was going to throw it away, but then two beams of deadly hot heat vision burst from his eyes. "Hey!" Calla exclaimed, smacking him upside the head.

"Ow!" Adam complained. "Chase, keep your girlfriend under control!"

"We're not dating!" We both exclaimed in unison. I looked at him sternly. "No heat vision. Principal Perry is watching us like a hawk."

Glancing over our shoulders, we could see Perry glaring at us from the middle of the cafeteria. Bree groaned in annoyance when we turned back.

"I've been standing in lines all day! I just want pizza! Not being able to use my superspeed whenever I want is killing me!" She complained. "That's it. I'm speeding to the front."

"No! Bree, control yourself!" Calla snapped. Then she glanced at us, seeming to realize that our sister wasn't going to listen. "Do something! Shut her off!"

Bree started forward, only to be restrained by Adam and I. Calla nodded at us, then ran over to distract Perry, Leo following her despite not knowing what was going on. Meanwhile, we dragged/carried a very uncooperative Bree out of the room.

"Stop it! Put me down!" Bree cried, struggling in our grasp. She kicked her legs out, hoping to make contact with the ground, but Adam and I made sure she couldn't run. "I just want pizza!"

"Well you're not getting any!" Adam retorted as we dropped her onto the ground. Her reached into his pocket and pulled out his own lunch. "But I can offer you this half eaten, ice cold hot dog."

Calla chuckled as she and Leo walked into the lobby. "Bree, I'll buy you a Kit-Kat from the vending machine, if it'll make you happy." The brunette offered, pulling some coins out from her pocket. Leo pushed her out of the way on the way to the vending machine.

"Forget Kit-Kats, I'm getting me a Three Musketeers bar." He decided, forcing Calla to wait behind him while he got his snack.

Suddenly, an odd creaking noise hit my ears. Frowning, I looked at my siblings. "Do you guys hear that?" I asked.

"Hear what?" Bree frowned, confused. I focused in on the noise, trying to locate its source with my bionic hearing. I followed the source of the sound to the vent…the vent sitting right above Calla and Leo.

"Guys, watch out!" Bree shouted. Both of our friends looked at us, then upwards as the noise grew loud enough for them to hear.

"AHHH!" "Shit." They managed to say before the vent fell. Adam and Bree rushed forward, the latter pushing Calla and Leo safely out of the way while the former caught the massive air conditioner before it could hit either of them. Adam dropped it onto the ground as we ran over to the others.

Leo was still lying on his back, giggling hysterically. Meanwhile Calla had pushed herself up, pushing back her bangs with one hand as she stared at the spot where she and Leo had been moments before. "Are you alright?" I asked gently, holding my hand out to her. She nodded after a moment, then glanced up at me.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." She breathed. Then, as if to reassure me that she really was alright, she let out a soft chuckle. "Things like that are the reason I keep you around, bionic boy."

I chuckled at the sound of the nickname. "I'll take that as a thank you." I replied, helping her up. Meanwhile, Bree had pulled Leo to his feet as well. Thankfully, he had calmed down from his little giggling fit.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SCHOOL?!" We all turned at the sound of Perry's too furious voice. Calla narrowed her eyes at our principal.

"We're okay. Thanks for asking." She growled sarcastically. Perry glared at her, but Adam intervened before an argument could break out.

"It's not our fault!" He exclaimed. "The air conditioner fell from the ceiling!"

Perry followed his gaze. "But if it crashed from a hole up there, how did it end up unbroken on the floor over here?" She demanded.

"Well it's not because I caught it and put it there." Adam replied nervously. Perry glared at us.

"You did this." She accused. "You sabotaged my vents."

"It wasn't us!" "It sure wasn't!" "Do I look like a sabatuesetor to you?" We replied. Perry nodded.

"Alright, fine. I'll just see what happened when I watch the video footage." She replied. We all froze, except for Adam.

"See? It's okay because-wait, the video what-age?" He demanded, finally catching on. Oh man, we were in some serious trouble. All of us had used our bionics. All of us were on film. If she watched that video, our secret would be blown.

"That's right. I had surveillance cameras installed." She pointed at the Dingo emblem on the wall, where a small camera lens was pocking out of Dewy the Dingo's eye. "And I'm going to find out exactly what happened. And when I do, you're all going down!"

"Calla, apple me." Leo instructed, holding out his hand. Confused, Calla gave him a shiny red apple and he walked over to Principal Perry. "Perhaps a honey crisp will change your mind?"

Perry grabbed the apple, took a massive bite out of it, slammed it down in Leo's hand, and walked away. Clearly, she still planned on watching the video. Leo stared at the apple, then turned back to us. "How many rows of teeth does this woman have?" He demanded, showing us the apple.

Calla's POV

"What are we going to do?" I muttered to myself. Despite the fact that it was a rhetorical question, Adam felt the need to answer it.

"We have to stop Principal Perry from watching that recording or she's going to see all three of us using our bionics."

"Whatever we do, we can not panic." Chase said, his voice steady. "Just stay calm."

"We are calm." Bree told him. Chase jumped to his feet, eyes wide.

"Well you shouldn't be!" He shouted, completely losing his composure. "We're in crisis!"

He began to pace. I sighed and grabbed his shoulder, stopping him. "Panicking won't help." I told him gently. He nodded to show that he understood, but he still looked like he was freaking out.

"Guys, what's the big deal if she sees us using our bionics and tells Davenport? I mean, he already knows." Adam pointed out. Chase's face suddenly lit up.

"Why don't we just sneak into Perry's office and steal the hard drive?" He suggested. Bree looked at him.

"And how are we supposed to do that?" She asked. I gasped, getting my own idea.

"Invisibility cloak!" I exclaimed.

"We go to Mission Creek High, not Hogwarts." Leo pointed out. "This ain't Harry Potter, Calla."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Well, obviously. But Mr. Davenport's been working on his own invisibility cloak."

"Does it work?" Chase asked, looking at me. I nodded quickly.

"Yeah, I was using it last night to pull pranks on Jaden. Works like a charm." I assured him. Chase nodded.

"Great idea." He told me. "Bree, you race home and get it."

She nodded and sped off. Leo looked at us. "Okay, so while she's gone-" Bree skidded to a stop in front of us, a backpack on her back. "And she's back."

"We'd better hurry." I warned them, checking my watch. Chase nodded.

"Calla's right. Parent Teacher night will start soon. Mr. Davenport will be here any minute." He agreed. "One of us has to get that hard drive."

Suddenly, all eyes were on Leo and I. I groaned. "Why us? This is your problem!"

"We're only in this mess because we saved your life." Chase pointed out.

"Besides, if we get caught, Davenport will pull us out of school." Adam told us. Bree nodded.

"Leo, he's not going to pull you out because you're useless to him." Bree told us. "And he can't pull Calla out, so it has to be one of you."

"Fine." Leo and I agreed. I looked at the younger boy. "Only one of us can wear it, you know."

He nodded. "Rock, paper, scissors?"

Seconds later, Leo was pulling the invisibility cloak on, his paper having lost to my scissors. He quickly pressed the button to activate it, and soon the only part of him that we could see was his head. He grinned excitedly. "Follow the bouncing Leo!" He called. His head bounced towards the office, then disappeared completely as he pulled the hood up.

We laughed, watching as he went. "What an airhead." Adam commented, making us all laugh harder.

Chase's POV

"Where is he?" I complained, checking my watch. Leo should have been in and out of there already. Adam, Calla and I were sitting on the stairs, waiting impatiently for him to return while Bree had left to get some gum. Suddenly, Calla let out a frustrated sigh.

"I'm going to go see if he's in trouble." She decided, getting up.

"Be careful." I cautioned. "Don't get caught."

I didn't want to see her get into trouble on our behalf. Calla just sent me a smirk. "Please. I never get caught." She declared, heading towards Perry's office.

We waited a couple of minutes, but neither one of our friends returned. "Is Leo not back yet?" Bree asked, walking back over to us. "What is taking Leo so long?"

"Taking Leo so long to do what?" We turned to see Mr. Davenport and Calla walking over to us.

"To go out and get a job." I lied. They both looked at me, confused. "Hey, the kid's got to leave the nest sometime."

"Don't tell me your kids are already talking about leaving home too." A woman in her thirties with dark brown hair and brown eyes walked over, a small smirk on her lips. It took me a second, but I soon realized that it was the same smirk I'd seen Calla wear hundreds of times. "My daughter was just talking about universities last week. She's only sixteen, for goodness sakes."

"Well, the smart ones always plan ahead." Mr. Davenport agreed. He looked at us. "Oh, right. Guys, this is Nicole Parker, Calla's mother."

"Oh, nice to meet you m'am." I greeted, shaking her hand. She smiled at me.

"I'm guessing you're Chase?" She assumed. I nodded and she looked at the others. "Adam and Bree, right?"

"Calla talks about us at home?" Adam seemed surprised. Mrs. Parker nodded.

"Yeah, quite a bit actually. And I believe Jaden's mentioned you from time to time as well. Mostly about convincing Adam to join the team and I believe he was just talking about you the other day, Bree." She replied. Bree let out a surprised giggle, as most girls did whenever a football player gave them attention. It was sorta pathetic, but I did have to admit Jaden wasn't like the rest of the jocks here at school. For one, he didn't try to bully the intellectuals into doing his homework for him. "By the way, have you guys seen Calla anywhere? Jaden's off talking to his coach, but I haven't seen her since this morning."

Just then, Perry stormed out of her office, dragging Leo and Calla with her. So much for never getting caught.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE UP TO, BUT I DO KNOW ONE THING-" Perry broke off mid-shout to greet a parent, "Hello, welcome." She greeted before turning back to our friends, "IF I EVER CATCH EITHER OF YOU IN MY OFFICE AGAIN, I WILL BREAK EVERY SINGLE- help yourself to the cheese and crackers," she faked a smile at another set of parents, "BONE IN YOUR BODIES!"

"Mom!" Calla exclaimed, leaping out of Perry's grasp. She and Leo ducked behind the adults as Mrs. Parker, Tasha and Mr. Davenport approached our principal. Calla looked at us, wide eyed. "HELP ME." She mouthed silently.

"Is there something wrong, Principal Perry?" Mrs. Parker questioned. Perry nodded.

"I caught these troublemakers sneaking into my office." She announced. Tasha and Mrs. Parker looked at their children.

"Leo, what were you doing sneaking into this nice woman's office?" Tasha asked.

"I wasn't sneaking into a nice woman's office, I was sneaking into her office." Leo corrected. His mom gave him a look. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you."

"Maybe Calla can." Mrs. Parker looked at our blue eyed friend. Calla bit her lip, her mind obviously rushing to find a suitable excuse.

"I can't tell you what Leo was doing in her office, but I was trying to get him out of it." She explained. Hey, it wasn't a lie. Calla's mom didn't look impressed, but then she sighed.

"Apologize to Principal Perry." She instructed. Calla nodded and looked at Perry.

"I am sorry for sneaking into your office. It won't happen again, I swear." She said through gritted teeth. Anyone could tell that she really didn't want to apologize. Perry nodded.

"Detention on Monday." She instructed. Calla groaned.

"Yes m'am." She agreed reluctantly. Mr. Davenport looked at us.

"You guys know anything about this?" He questioned. We all shook our heads.

"Nope." "Not a clue." "They're working alone." We replied. Calla and Leo glared at us, clearly thinking the same word: Traitors.

Tasha turned to Leo. "I am very disappointed in you Leo. You are not going to that concert."

Leo looked distraught. "What? But I-"

"No."

"But they-"

"No."

"But fine." Leo sighed in defeat. Perry looked at the adults.

"Why don't we go into the gym and I can show you the rope Leo can't climb? Then I'll show you what Calla did to the chemistry lab yesterday."

"It wasn't supposed to explode! I blame Adam!" Calla defended herself. As Leo and the others left, she stepped back to talk to us. "Get that hard drive. Now."

"Calla!" Mrs. Parker shouted. Calla grimaced.

"Coming Mom!" She called. She glanced back at us before leaving. "Now." She repeated, following her mom into the gym.

Calla's POV

Well, today was going great. First, an air conditioner nearly kills me, then I get caught trying to sneak Leo out of Perry's office. And now, it was time for the adults to talk about us delinquents.

Leo, Tasha, and Mr. Davenport had been in there for about five minutes already, and without any idea where Adam, Bree, or Chase were, I was bored. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure my mom was occupied, then slipped into the office to see what I was missing.

"Let's start with the tall one." Perry was saying. I hid myself behind the fern outside her office, too far for anyone to see me, but close enough to see and hear everything.

"Adam." Tasha confirmed. Perry nodded.

"Or, as I like to call him, empty box on a neck." She replied. Rolling my eyes, I was about to leave when something on the ceiling caught my eye. No, wait. Not something. Someone.

Bree was sitting upside down on the ceiling, clinging to it with her very strange ability. According to Mr. Davenport, her ability to do that had something to do with her super agility, but it seemed way too Spiderman-like for that. She saw me staring and waved at me, a nervous look in her eyes and the hard drive in her hand. "You've got to be kidding me." I muttered, rubbing my face with my hand.

Suddenly, her gum fell out of her mouth. Leo, obviously knowing that she was up there, reached out and caught it in his hand, everyone staring at him in confusion. He noticed the looks and made a very hard decision. One I would never make myself. "Almost dropped my gum." He lied, putting Bree's gum in his mouth with a grimace.

"Hey! No gum in school!" Perry exclaimed after he closed his mouth. She held up the garbage can next to her desk. "Spit it out."

"You couldn't have said that two seconds ago?" Leo questioned before doing as he was told. Suddenly, there was a light clang and Bree's pink flower hair barrette fell onto the desk. Luckily, Perry wasn't watching, but everyone else in the room looked up and stared at her. It was clear that neither Davenport nor Tasha knew Bree was even in the room. They all started arguing silently, until Perry turned back to them.

"Where'd that come from?" Perry demanded, pointing at the barrette. Mr. Davenport panicked for a moment, then came up with a not-so-clever lie.

"That is…uh…mine. It's for windy days." He lied, putting the barrette in his hair. Perry looked at him, but he continued in a business like fashion. "You were saying?"

I pulled out my phone, taking a quick picture to show the other employees. It was hilarious. I didn't know how he was able to keep a straight face with it in his hair, but it was impressive.

Perry shook her head, getting back to the matter at hand. "Why tell you when I can show you? Where's that hard drive" She asked, looking around for the hard drive. She turned her back to find it, and everyone began silently arguing again. They all stopped when Perry turned back. "Don't go anywhere or else!" Perry snapped. Everyone looked at her, a little surprised that she was threaten an adult. Kids, sure, but parents? Perry quickly changed her attitude. "I mean please make yourselves comfortable."

Perry walked past my hiding spot to head into the secretary's office and I ducked into the main office. "So, what I miss?" I asked casually. Davenport ignored me and looked up at Bree.

"Get down here now!" He ordered. She jumped to the ground, looking nervous. "What is going on?"

"It's a long story." Bree replied.

"Talk fast!" Mr. Davenport hissed. Bree nodded.

"So we were hanging out in the hallway when Chase said 'Do you guys hear that?' and I was like 'move!' and Adam was like 'I got this' and then we used our bionics to save Calla and Leo from being pancaked by an air conditioner. The bad news is that cameras recorded everything and it's all on this hard drive."

"Oh, is that all?" Mr. Davenport didn't look too impressed, although he didn't seem that angry either.

"And we borrowed your invisibility cloak, so your million dollar, top secret technology might be ruined." I added. "But yeah, that's about it."

"Okay, give me the hard drive – we have to get rid of it." Mr. Davenport instructed as we heard Perry's voice. "Now both of you hide!"

Knowing better than to argue, we returned to our hiding spots. I seriously couldn't understand how Perry didn't notice Bree, but hey, it worked out for us. Our principal walked past my hiding spot and back into the office, immediately catching sight of the hard drive still in Mr. Davenport's hands. "Found it?" Mr. Davenport lied.

"Oh, I could kiss you." Perry beamed. Mr. Davenport gulped.

"Please don't." He begged. She grabbed the hard drive and headed to the computer. I leaned forward to get a better view, only for two idiots to trip over me.

"Ow!" "Watch it!" "Calla?!" We all exclaimed. Perry came into the hall to see Adam, Chase and I sprawled on the ground.

"Hi." I greeted nervously, knowing full well that we were busted.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Perry demanded. Adam gulped nervously.

"Oops, this isn't the men's room." He tried in vain to lie his way out of this. It occurred to me then that we did a lot of lying.

"Why would I be sitting in the men's room?" Perry demanded. Chase shrugged.

"Because anything else would be un-ladylike?" He joked. Grabbing us by our arms, Perry hauled us to our feet and forced us into the office.

"Sit." She ordered. Her tone was so fierce that we all listened instantly, Chase and I plopping down on the couch while Adam sat cross-legged on the floor. Perry rolled her eyes and started to attach the hard drive to the computer. She ducked beneath her desk to attach the final wire, giving us the chance to talk/scheme.

"Quick, crush that hard drive!" Mr. Davenport told Adam. Adam shook his head.

"You told us never to use bionics in school." He reminded his dad. Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes.

"And yet here we are!" He hissed. "Forget what I said and crush it!"

Perry started to get up then, and it was obvious that Adam would need a distraction. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew across the room as Bree leapt down from the ceiling, giving Adam the perfect opportunity. While Perry was distracted by the flying papers and files, the older boy grabbed it in his hands and crushed it before placing it back where it had been.

When the wind died down, Perry was shocked to say the least. "One of you did this!" She accused. She started pointing at Adam, Chase, Leo and I. "You, you, you, or you!"

"I was standing here the whole time! I didn't see anything!" Mr. Davenport came to our defence. Perry was pissed.

"This is not over!" She declared. Mr. Davenport gave her a look.

"Oh, I think it is." He told her. "Air conditioning units falling from our of nowhere, illegal backpack searchers, recording students without consent! Does the school board know about any of this?"

We all grinned at the look on Perry's face. She was beaten and she knew it. "I…They…" Perry sighed. "Like I was saying, let's put this whole thing behind us."

"Let's." Mr. Davenport agreed before turning back to us. I nodded at him in respect.

"Way to lawyer up, sir." I complimented. He smirked.

"Let's go." He told us, leading us all out of the office. Bree was waiting outside.

"Well?" She asked impatiently. Chase smiled.

"The hard drive's been destroyed." He assured her. Bree grinned.

"Awesome!" She exclaimed.

Chase's POV

After giving Mr. Davenport a long explanation for why we had to use our bionics at school (apparently Bree's explanation wasn't long or detailed enough) he nodded.

"Well, I think my first Parent Teacher night was a huge success. Mainly because I will never be asked to go again. Point Davenport!" He high fived Adam and Bree, who were sitting on top of the counter in the lab. Calla and I were sitting in chairs in front of them, while Leo was still at the school.

"So, are we in trouble?" Bree asked, concerned about today's incident. Mr. Davenport shook his head.

"I'm going to let this one slide." He decided. "Because you guys did save Calla and Leo from being crushed by an air conditioner."

"Yeah, thanks again." I commented. "Being killed by air conditioning…that would be a terrible way to go."

Mr. Davenport chuckled, nodding his agreement. "Besides, it's not like you guys have ever used your bionics at school before, right?"

"Never." "Ever." "Sometimes." We replied. Bree, Calla and I gave Adam a silencing look, but Mr. Davenport didn't question his response.

Suddenly, the doors to the lab opened and Leo and Tasha walked in, the former carrying a bag in one hand. He didn't look happy. "Where have you been?" Mr. Davenport asked.

"Well, since I couldn't tell Principal Perry the truth, I had to clean every bathroom in the school." Leo replied. Calla smirked and bit back a laugh, knowing that she had narrowly escaped a horrific punishment by agreeing to the detention. Out of the options, she'd made the best choice. "I scrubbed, I scraped. I got a little nauseous, but luckily I was in the bathroom, so that worked out."

He looked down at his bag and handed it to Mr. Davenport. "Oh, here's your invisibility cloak back. Sorry it's wet – I used it as a mop."

Adam sighed and slid off the counter. "Guys, thanks for having our backs."

I nodded. "Yeah it was cool of you two to cover for us like that."

"No prob." I assured them. Leo nodded.

"It all worked out in the end. Calla and I didn't get flattened by an air conditioner, your bionics didn't get exposed, and I still get to go to the Rift Raft Jammy Jam!"

"Maybe we can all go." Bree suggested.

"Yay! We're all going to the Rift Raft Jammy Jam!" Tasha cheered, beginning to dance. And to be completely honest, Tasha's dancing made Chase's dancing look good. And I didn't think anything could do that.

"Not with moves like that." Leo told her.

FLASHBACK END

Calla's POV

"Now hold on a second! My dance moves were not that bad!" Tasha objected. We all looked at each other.

"Yes. Yes they were." We agreed in unison. Tasha gave us all a hurt look, but Mr. Davenport pulled into my driveway before she could say anything.

"Want me to walk you to the door?" Chase offered. I shook my head, climbing out of the car.

"Nah, I got it. Thanks for inviting me for dinner!" I called to the adults. "See you guys tomorrow."

Chase gave me a quick kiss before I closed the door and I headed up to the front door. I was just wondering what tomorrow would bring when I got a very unusual text from a friend.

Text from: Kieran

Hey. We need to talk. Meet me at the library tomorrow after school.

I stared at the text, trying to think of what Kieran could possibly need to talk to me about.


	31. Spike's Got Talent

Calla's POV

I walked into the school, looking around for a certain new kid. Kieran had texted me the night before and it sounded urgent, but he wasn't responding to any of my texts, nor could I find the boy. Where could he be?

"Hey Calla!" I turned to see Chase coming towards me, visibly upset by something. He was holding a book in his hands.

"Morning babe, is that the new yearbook?" I asked, looking at the pages. They were supposed to be coming out today.

"Yeah!" Chase grumbled, still upset. "Guess who was the only one in the entire school who didn't get a most likely to? Me, that's who!"

I rolled my eyes. "Chase, you can't have been the only one…"

He flipped through the pages and started reading some out loud. "Kieran Daniels, most likely to own a zoo. Adam Davenport, most likely to drop out and become a rodeo clown. Bree Davenport, most likely to be come an Olympian sprinter, Leo Dooley, most likely to never get a most likely to, Jaden Parker, most likely to get struck by lightning…" He listed off. I bit back a laugh.

"I stand corrected." I admitted. "And since when is 'most likely to get struck by lightning' a category?"

"Since this year, I think." Chase replied. I nodded, then looked back at the book.

"What did I get?" I asked curiously. He sighed and read mine out loud.

"Calla Parker, most likely to rule the world." He read. I grinned.

"Okay, that one I like." I beamed. Chase gave me a look.

"That just proves it. I'm completely invisible at this school." He mumbled. I shook my head.

"Chase, you're a world famous bionic superhero. You're not invisible." I told him. He gave me a look, then showed me the year book.

"Really, then what's this?" He showed me a section of the book. Every grade at the school had a couple of pages to themselves to show the students faces and names, and it was no different with our grade. It began with Breanna Blake, a quiet short haired girl who sat in the back of most of my classes, and ended with Amy Williams, a feisty redhead that Rebeccka had introduced me to. Chase was pointing at the spot where his picture should be, right between Bree and Leo. Except, instead of a photo, it had a question mark. The name underneath read Chip Davenport. "Chip Davenport!" Chase exclaimed. "I'm a misnamed question mark!"

"Chase, get over it already." Bree walked up to us, Jaden and Leo following. "It was a simple mistake, just get them to fix it."

"That's not the point!" He snapped. I patted his shoulder gently.

"Chase, calm down." I told him just as Principal Perry walked up to us.

"Listen up, snot buckets!" She declared, holding a large piece of paper in her hands. "Don't forget to sign up for the annual Mission Creek High talent show. The show is tonight. Auditions are at lunch today and will be judged by moi. Chances are that if I don't like you, you won't get through and I don't like any of you, so good luck!"

On that pleasant note, she pinned the sign-up sheet on the wall nearby. "Talent shows are wrong!" We were surprised to hear the annoyed shout that escaped my brother. "They're completely idiotic."

I groaned, sitting down on the bench and hiding my face with my hands. "Not this again."

"What's the problem with talent shows, Jaden?" Bree asked, confused. He crossed his arms.

"Every year, dozens of talented students try out and that woman," he glared in the direction that Perry had left, "shuts them down. Well, I'm not going to stand for it any longer!"

And with that, Jaden left the room, his head held high. Everyone turned to look at me. "What was that about?"

I shrugged. "Well either he's all pissed off because people think he's a lightning rod, or he's still upset that Perry told him he was untalented three years in a row."

"He tried out for the talent show for the past three years?" Bree asked. "What talent?"

"Singing." I shuddered. "God, his voice…you know how Davenport is really, really bad at singing?" They all nodded. "Well Jaden's voice makes him seem like an angel in comparison."

Bree laughed lightly. "Well I'd better go make sure he doesn't do something stupid."

She left, leaving me, Chase and Leo alone. Leo was smirking. "This talent show is the perfect opportunity for me to build my fan base."

"Leo, you don't have a fan base." Chase pointed out.

"I know, that's why I have to build one." He replied, not offended. He grinned. "With magic."

"Well, that is what it would take." I commented, earning a small chuckle from Chase.

"I got a magic kit and I've been practicing specifically for the competition." Leo explained. Chase looked at him.

"A magic kit?" He repeated. "Isn't that kind of lame?"

Leo looked at him like he was crazy. "There is nothing lame about buying something off the internet to make friends." He stepped away from us, heading over to talk to two girls in our class, Thea and Iris. "Hey, would you like to see a card trick?"

They both nodded and Leo pulled out a pack of cards. He pulled one card from the deck without looking at it, and showed it to the pair. "This is your card." He announced before slipping it back into the deck. He began to shuffle the deck before looking at Iris with a frown on her face. "What's that in your hair?"

Leaning forward, he pulled a card out of her hair. "Bam!" He exclaimed, earning grins from both girls. He spun around and shoved the card in Chase's face. "See? Magic."

"You know what my problem is? All my talents are bionic. And even though the world knows about us, Mr. Davenport's still enforcing the no-using-bionics-at-school rule. It's not fair."

"Aw, bionic people problems." Leo teased lightly. I sighed.

"Chase, the only reason that he's still enforcing that rule is because if he told you guys you could use your bionics here, things could go wrong easily. Adam would be using his super strength and heat vision all the time and Bree would be manipulating people's voices left and right. How long do you think it would be before people started taking advantage of you guys?"

He sighed. "I guess you're right."

I gave him a look. "Of course I'm right." I muttered. "Now, have either of you guys seen Kieran?"

"Nope." Leo replied with a shake of his head. Chase looked at me.

"Why?" He asked, trying to seem casual about it. Chase still didn't like him that much. I sighed and showed him my phone.

"He sent me a ominous text last night and hasn't responded to my texts or calls since." I explained. "I'm just worried that he's gotten himself into some sort of trouble."

"Then maybe it's a good idea to stay out of it?" Chase suggested hopefully. One look from me let him know that I did not find his comment amusing. "Alrighty then, never mind. So you're going to meet up with him after school?"

"Yeah, I guess. I was hoping to talk to him beforehand, just to make sure he's alright and all, but I guess it'll have to wait." I decided. Chase sighed and looked at me.

"Calla," He began. I cut him off with a glare.

"Don't you dare tell me not to go." I told him. He nodded.

"I wasn't going to." He assured me. "But if you really think he's in some sort of trouble, will you at least promise to have your cell on? Just in case?"

I sighed. He wasn't going to let this go. "Alright, fine. I'll keep my cell phone on if it makes you happy."

Suddenly, the bell rang. I gave him a quick peck on the lips before grabbing my book bag. "History class awaits."

Chase's POV

Talent show tryouts were a disaster. The number of kids with strange and weird talents was a large one, but very few of them made it past the first cuts. In many cases, this was a good thing. I mean one kid tried to gurgle the alphabet. Who does that?

Finally, it was Leo's turn to get on stage. He jumped onto the stage with a grin, carrying three metal hoops in his hands. Perry let out a groan.

"Uck, Dooley. Next!" She shouted, hitting the buzzer. Leo rolled his eyes, not getting off the stage.

"Come on, give me a chance!" He pleaded. Perry sighed.

"Fine. Just get it over with." She sighed. Leo nodded and smiled at the crowd.

"Three solid metal rings." He showed them to the crowd, holding them apart to show that they were not even touching. He clanged the rings together, then dropped two of them to reveal that they were now interlocked. He smirked at everyone's nods of approval. "Locked solid, right?" He asked. He blew on the rings and they disappeared in a fiery blast.

Everyone clapped for him. Even Perry seemed impressed. "Wow! That wasn't awful!" She exclaimed. "Alright, you're in." She decided, hitting the bell on her desk.

"Yes!" Leo beamed. He looked at the crowd. "For my next trick, I'll leave while I'm ahead."

Leo ran off stage, heading towards the back where Calla was. She gave me a thumbs up as I climbed on stage, clearly trying to be supportive.

"I am the smartest man to ever live." I began. Groans could be heard from the crowd and even Calla face palmed at that. Still, I would not be deterred. My bionic brain was my greatest gift and I was going to use it. "Break out your online dictionaries people. I can spell any word."

"Yeah, I got one for you! Snooze-fest!" Perry called. Suddenly, people began to boo and throw pieces of crumpled up homework at me. Calla and Leo both had their faces ducked, trying to avoid being noticed and recognized as my friends. I felt my face go red with embarrassment as I tried to fix this mess.

"Next!" Perry announced. I hastened to make her change her mind.

"No, wait! I have another talent!" I told her. Panicking, I said the first thing that came to mind. "I can do magic!"

Taking a deep breath, I raised my hands and used my telekinesis to make the pieces of paper float into the air. Most of the crowd gasped in amazement, not to my surprise. Although the world knew about our bionics, most of them didn't know much about our abilities except that I was super smart, Adam was super strong, and Bree was super fast. My telekinesis was something they likely hadn't seen before, so therefore, it was considered very impressive.

Smirking with newfound confidence, I made the paper balls circle me once, then shot them out at the crowd. They bounced off everyone who'd attacked me, not one of them touching Leo or Calla.

"That was amazing!" Perry declared. "Dooley, you're out. Little Dutch Boy, you're in."

"Yes!" I grinned, pleased with myself. Leo walked up to me.

"Great job Chase." He told me. "Maybe for your next trick, you can remove this knife from my back!"

He stormed off without another word. Frowning, I climbed off stage and headed over to Calla. "You just had to go with magic, didn't you?" She sighed, her tone lacking judgment. I shrugged helplessly.

"I panicked. What else was I supposed to do?" I demanded. She sighed again.

"I'm staying out of this." She decided. "But next time, think things through ahead of time."

She shook her head at me before walking away, heading in the same direction as Leo.

Bree's POV

"I have to do something to protest Perry's talent show." Three hours later and Jaden was still upset about the talent show. "Something that will take her and the entire establishment down."

"Aren't you taking this a little too seriously?" I asked. After all, it was only a talent show.

"Too seriously? Bree, this is serious." Jaden informed me. "And I've got an idea."

"So do I." I replied. We looked at each other, grinned, then said our ideas out loud.

"Storm the school!" "Build a sculpture!"

We stared at each other for a moment, confused. Then I decided it was better to be the loser in this situation. "Of course, a sculpture. We are so in sync."

"A sculpture will symbolise how authority suffocates creative expression." Jaden decided. I gave him a look.

"You forgot to finish your sculpture for art class, didn't you?" I guessed. He gave me a guilty grin.

"I haven't even started." He admitted. "But that's not the point."

"Sure it isn't." I replied, laughing softly to myself. Jaden either didn't notice or ignored me.

"We can put it in the school lobby, where everyone can see it." He decided.

"Including our art teacher." I added. He glanced at me, the corners of his mouth tugging upwards.

"Stop it." He said. "Now, what to make it out of…" He trailed off, trying to find the perfect material.

"Ice?" I suggested.

"No." He shook his head.

"Clay?"

"Too obvious."

"Plaster?"

"Really Bree?" He looked at me, raising an eyebrow.

"Butter?" We looked over our shoulders to see Adam standing behind the kitchen counter, a piece of toast in his hands. Jaden stared at him, getting to his feet.

"What did you say?" He asked, stunned.

"Butter. Everything's better with butter." He replied. "Probably even your art."

"Butter is perfect." Jaden grinned. I raised an eyebrow at that and he gave me a look. "Oh come on. Like you've never wanted to build anything out of butter."

"Seriously?" I shook my head at him, but Jaden was already excited about the statue. He looked at my older brother.

"Adam, do you want to help me make a sculpture out of butter?" He asked. Adam stared at him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, his toast falling to the ground.

"I have been waiting for someone to ask me that my whole life." He replied, chasing after Jaden as they left to go get the butter. I stared after them as they ran.

"Wait, I thought we were going to…" The door slammed shut behind them, "…do something together."

Annoyed and frustrated, I slumped back onto the couch, glaring at the door.

Chase's POV

I grinned as I practiced me "magic" act for the talent show, using my telekinesis to stack a deck of cards into a house.

"Hey!" A sudden shout made me lose my concentration and the cards fell. I turned to face Leo, a little peeved. Although clearly, he was angrier than I was. "You abraded my cadabra. You hocused my pocus. Alied my kazam."

"I was being booed and I panicked." I defended myself. "What else was I supposed to do?"

"Suffer!" Was Leo's immediate response. "You're supposed to suffer."

"Leo, I've finally found a way to look cool by using my bionics. How can I not share my gift with the world?" I looked up at the sky and smirked. "You're welcome world!"

Suddenly my phone buzzed and I instinctively knew it was Calla. She had asked me to come to the school to help her set up for the talent show. Also to help her find Kieran, who'd skipped school for an unknown reason. I was happy to help with the first request, the second…well, whatever made her happy, right?

I glanced at Leo, smirking. "Magic." I teased, opening the elevator doors telekinetically.

"And I thought I was the biggest jerk in the room!" I heard Eddy call after me. I ignored him. I wasn't being a jerk. It wasn't my fault that Leo was kicked out of the talent show. At least, I never intended for that to happen.

Bree's POV

"Bree!" Jaden exclaimed, grabbing my arm. I laughed at his excitement.

"Hello to you too. Are we going to do something together now?" I asked hopefully. Unfortunately, he shook his head as he led me upstairs.

"Not yet. Your brother and I are so in sync." He announced. "I want to show you what we created together."

I was pulled into the living room, where a giant mass was hidden by a thin blanket. Adam, who was standing next to it, ripped off the blanket to reveal a bust of Principal Perry, completely made out of butter.

"Da-ta!" Adam announced as both boys grinned at me, waiting for my approval.

"I love it." I lied. "Just question. Why Perry?"

"She represents everything that's wrong with society." Jaden replied. I bobbed my head, agreeing with him on that one. Jaden looked at Adam. "Hey, do you know what she needs?"

"Glasses?" Adam asked, much to Jaden's pleasure.

"You get me." He decided. I stared at my boyfriend.

"He gets you?" I repeated. "Jaden, he gets baffled by tissue boxes!"

"How does one know when the other one is gone? It just pops right up!" Adam defended himself before he and Jaden ran to go make some glasses for butter Perry.

Crossing my arms, I'd finally had enough. "That's it." I decided. I looked at the fridge where Eddy's monitor was. "Eddy, crank up the heat. Full blast."

He appeared, clearly having heard my request. "But if I do, that'll melt the butter sculpture and that would be…AWESOME!" He exclaimed, doing as I asked. I smiled proudly to myself, glancing at the sculpture before heading down into the lab.

Calla's POV

So Kieran hadn't shown up at the library. Strange. I was starting to get a little concerned, deciding that if I didn't see him today, I was going to track him down tomorrow. But for the moment, I was content to watch the talent show.

"Hey Leo." I greeted as my best friend walked over to me. He nodded and me, his hands in his pockets. He was smirking. "Alright, what are you planning?"

"You'll see." Leo replied with a smile. Suddenly, Perry climbed on stage.

"Next up we have the Amazing Chase! The only magician who's magic wand is bigger than he is."

The crowd clapped as Chase walked on stage, wearing a top hat and a cape. I laughed lightly to myself. It was cute how he got so into stuff like this.

"Thank you, thank you ladies and gentlemen!" He called, carrying a wooden chair onto the stage with him. "For my first trick, I will move that chair…with my mind."

"Oh no he's not." I heard Leo say. I turned to see him pulling something out of his pocket. The bionic disrupter, to be exact.

"Leo, don't!" I exclaimed, but it was too late. He pressed the button, aiming the invention at Chase. Chase had his hands held out, obviously trying to lift the chair telekinetically, but nothing was happening.

I glared at Leo, snatching the disruptor away from him. "You stole this from my desk!" I accused. He shrugged.

"Yeah, but you have it back, so technically I borrowed it." He pointed out. I wasn't amused.

"Leo, this thing only has three charges and you just wasted one of them!" I snapped. He frowned.

"Wait, I thought it only had one charge." He said, confused. I gave him a look.

"I upgraded it. Duh." I replied. "But you realize how stupid that was, right?"

"I don't see what the big deal is!" Leo argued. I sighed.

"This disrupts and stops anyone with bionics for a short period of time. Anyone, including Krane." I growled. Meanwhile, the crowd was booing Chase very loudly. I glanced at him, noticing how panicked and nervous he was getting. "You just had to humiliate him in public, didn't you?"

"Yes. Yes I did." Leo replied with a smirk. We watched as everyone made fun of Chase. Part of me wanted to tell everyone to shut up, but I knew that it would make things worse if people thought Chase needed his girlfriend to defend him. Meanwhile, said bionic boy looked ready to flee the stage, gripping his hat tightly while he tried to think of something.

Then something in the air shifted and Chase no longer look so nervous or panicky. He ripped off his hat and cape in a fury, glaring at the crowd. "HEY!"

Leo and I both froze, recognizing Spike's voice. "You want to see me move that chair with my head?!" Spike demanded. Leo gulped nervously beside me.

"I hope he's doing an impression, because that sounds a lot like Spike." He muttered, staring at him.

Spike raised the chair above him and slammed it down on his head with a roar, breaking the chair with ease. The shattered pieces fell to the floor while he glowered at everyone around him. "Yep, that's Spike." I confirmed.

Meanwhile, the crowd all thought it was part of the show. They were clapping and cheering for Spike, much to his pleasure. He began growling and showing off his muscles (or the imaginary ones he believed he had) to the crowd. After a few minutes of this, Perry stepped on stage.

"Well, there's a fine line between entertaining and disturbing and I think we've crossed it." She decided. "So, let's take a brief intermission."

The crowd dispersed, leaving me and Leo alone with Spike.

"You want to handle this?" Leo asked. I rolled my eyes, grabbed Spike gently by the arm, and led him off stage.

"Hey Spike." I greeted. "Do you think you can chill out and let weak, little Chase come back before Perry-"

"I don't want to chill out!" Spike growled. "I want to rip out someone's spine and use it as a pogo stick!"

I thought back to all the times Spike had come out in the past. "Or, we could picture a nice, tranquil forest…" I gulped as Spike stared at me. It wasn't a glare, not yet, but with the amount of anger stored inside Spike, I wouldn't be surprised if it changed very quickly. Although I was clearly Spike's favourite – I always had been – I still wasn't sure how far he'd go. "…filled with nice, leaping gazelles…"

Luckily, Leo came to my rescue. "While you have a nice cup of tea." He ripped a cup of tea away from an old lady and handed it to Spike. Spike took it from Leo, bit down on it hard, then spit out the broken shards and handed it back.

"Tasty!" He growled. He started towards us, but stopped suddenly. He blinked, confused.

"Calla, Leo, what just happened?" Chase demanded in the same confused and slightly frightened tone he always had after Spike showed up. I turned to Leo, making it clear that he would have to explain this one.

"I…might have disabled your telekinesis, but I only did it because you cheated first so now we're even. More tea?" He held up the cup. Chase frowned and looked at me.

"Tell me Spike didn't show up." He pleaded. I smiled guiltily.

"Afraid so. But don't worry, I took the disruptor away from him." I assured him. Chase nodded, then looked at Leo, hurt.

"Leo, you made me nervous and triggered my commando app! You turned me into Spike!" He accused.

"Yeah, well now you're back to good old nerdy Chase, so let this be a lesson. No one. Steals. From. The Magic Man." He growled, getting right in Chase's face. I stepped back, knowing what was going to happen. Teasing Chase right after Spike goes away isn't a good idea because Spike is very liable to come back.

Just as I suspected, Spike glared back at Leo. "What did you say to me fruit fly?"

He stepped close, growling in the shorter boy's ear. Leo laughed nervously. "Hey, look everybody. Spike's back."

Bree's POV

I walked into the living room seconds after Jaden and Adam found the puddle of melted butter. "Oh no, what happened?" I asked, feigning confusion.

"I don't get it. Butter doesn't melt at room temperature." Jaden said to Adam. "And we can't rebuild it in time for the talent show."

"Tragic…oh well." I shrugged and grabbed Jaden by the arm. "Let's go see a movie."

I'd almost made it out of the house with boyfriend when Eddy stopped us. "Slow your roll, Shirley. Check out this movie."

Eddy's screen changed to a security camera clip from earlier today. Specifically, it was of me.

"Eddy, crank up the heat. Full blast." I glared at Eddy as Jaden and Adam stared at the screen.

"Bree, what the hell?" Jaden demanded, hands on his hips.

"I'm sorry! You were just spending so much time with Adam that I got jealous." I explained.

"So you sabotaged me?" He questioned. I sighed, but Jaden didn't give me the chance to answer. "I'm out of here."

"Jaden!" I called after him, but it was too late. I winced as the door slammed shut behind him. Adam just looked at me, disappointment. Upset, I sat down on the couch, trying to think of a way to fix this.

Calla's POV

Well, Spike was in a bad mood. And I don't mean normal bad mood Spike. I mean he was in a worse mood than I'd ever seen him. Which was bad. Really, really bad.

"Hey Calla? Can I borrow the disruptor again?" Leo asked suddenly. I looked at him. "Oh come on! This is an emergency!"

I sighed. "Fine. But I'm doing it."

I pointed the disruptor at Spike and pressed the button. To my genuine surprise, nothing happened. Well, Spike's anger doubled, but aside from that, nothing.

"Ah!" Spike roared, stealing a baton away from Rebeccka. With a single motion, he bent the baton in half and handed it back to her. "Twirl that, princess."

"Jerk." Rebeccka muttered, walking away as Spike spun to face his next opponent. It was one of the school's best students, Kevin. And Kevin's talent was karate.

Unfortunately for Kevin, Spike knew karate better. He ripped Kevin's bo staff out of his hands and flung it away so hard that it ended up sticking out of the wall just above Leo's head. Then Spike quickly beat the crap out of Kevin and threw him away like he was a rag doll.

"Why aren't you using the disruptor?" Leo demanded. I shook my head helplessly.

"I think it amplified Spike's power rather instead of interrupting it. Leo looked at me.

"That's not good." He stated the obvious. I nodded, watching Spike.

"No it is not." I agreed as Spike destroyed the water fountain nearby and started to drink the water that sprayed out of it. People were staring at this point, but there was nothing we could do to save Chase's rep.

Bree's POV

I sighed, staring down at my phone. Jaden still wasn't returning any of my calls or texts. I looked at Adam, who was wiping pancakes through the puddle of butter.

"Jaden's still mad at me! How am I going to make this up to him?" I asked, hoping he would have an answer.

"The damage is done, Bree. So unless you have 28 pounds of delicious popcorn to soak up his butter art, you're screwed."

"Yes!" I exclaimed. Adam's eyes widened.

"You do?" He replied, stunned. I shook my head.

"No, I mean what if we build Jaden a new protest statue?" I said. Adam frowned.

"How?" He asked. I didn't answer, instead speeding away to the nearest store. I was back in my living room mere seconds later, a giant bag of popcorn kernels in each arm.

"With 28 pounds of popcorn." I declared. Adam nodded, grinning.

"Sweet." He commented. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

"But how are we going to pop it all before the talent show ends?" I asked. Adam's grin grew.

"Leave that to me." He said before activating his heat vision. He turned it on the popcorn bag to my right, burning a hole through it and popping the popcorn. I nodded.

"That'll work." I agree. Jaden was going to love this.

Xxx

"This better be important." Jaden sighed, walking up to me. "I was busy."

"Doing what?" I asked. He sighed.

"Trying to make a sculpture for art class out of Play-Doh." He muttered. I smirked, reaching forward to pull a bit of the blue clay off of his jacket.

"Yeah, I can tell." I replied. He crossed his arms and I sighed. "Jaden, I know you're mad at me, but I hope this giant waste of popcorn makes it up to you."

I ripped the blanket off of the new sculpture to reveal a bust of Principal Perry made op of popcorn. It was complete with two eyes and glasses. Or, was complete. Adam was licking her head right now, taking off some of the popcorn. "Adam!" I snapped, trying to get him off of it. "Stop licking Principal Perry!"

"I can't help it!" He argued. "She's salty."

I turned back to Jaden, who was staring at the new sculpture with wide, amazed eyes. "I'm really sorry I melted your butter sculpture."

"Bree…" Jaden shook his head, staring at me. "I was pretty upset, but this…this gesture is making my heart melt like…"

"Butter?" Adam suggested. We glared at him.

"No!" We both snapped. Suddenly, Chase ran in, growling and carrying part of a broken basketball backboard. He quickly pinned two boys against a locker, growling in their faces.

"Has your brother gone rabid or something?" Jaden asked, confused. I was about to reply when Calla and Leo ran in. Leo ran to try and stop Chase from being…crazy, while Calla walked over to us.

"Why is there a popcorn Perry bust?" She asked.

"Long story. Why is Chase trying to kill those guys?"

Calla thought about her answer for a minute. "Chase isn't trying to kill anyone." She informed us. "Spike, on the other hand, is feeling very murderous today."

Spike chose that moment to run off in the other direction, Leo chasing after him. Calla looked at us before following. "Why am I the one always cleaning up Leo's messes?" She called.

Before anyone could respond, Perry walked into the room. She froze upon seeing her popcorn lookalike. "Who is responsible for this?" She demanded. Jaden looked at me, then at Perry.

"I am." He lied.

"I love it!" Perry cried. We stared at her, surprised. "Talent show is over. We have a winner."

"YES!" Jaden jumped for joy, beaming like the sun. Then we heard a ferocious growl.

"Spike, no!" We heard Calla call, but it was too late. Spike leapt at the sculpture and it burst apart, sending popcorn flying.

"How dare you!" Perry screamed, glowering at Spike. "How dare you destroy the Mona Lisa that was my popcorn bust?!"

While most kids would have wet themselves at the sound of rage in her voice, Spike was unaffected. "What are you going to do about it, Shoulder Pads?"

"Ooh." We all murmured. Perry narrowed her eyes at him.

"Easy Butch. Your mouth is writing a check that you can't cash in." She warned.

"Oh yeah?" Spike sounded amused. "Santa called. He wants to know if you'll be making toys this year."

"Why bother making a dolly when I have my own right here?" Perry retorted. By this point, Leo and Calla had walked up to us, eating popcorn out of their hands as they enjoyed the show.

"That's a funny joke. Where'd you get it from? Your cats' litter box?" Spike questioned.

"Nobody talks about my cats!" Perry shouted. Spike just opened his arms, clearly challenging her. "You're going down. Back when I was in the Kiwana Wrestling League, they called me La Rosa Bonita!"

Spike just growled in response. "And watch out! Because I have thorns!" Perry pulled on a red and yellow wrestling mask. Okay, things just got serious.

"Alright kitty-cat, read to tango?" Spike questioned.

"Must…protect…my students." Perry huffed. "Prepare to be subdued!"

They grabbed each other's shoulders, trying to force the other one to the ground. They stumbled a bit before Perry flipped Spike onto his back. I glanced to my left to see Calla video-taping the entire thing on her phone.

"Send me a copy, would you?" I requested. She nodded, not taking her eyes off the scene.

Spike got back to his feet, this time flipping Perry onto the ground. Perry wasn't down for long though. Spike ran at her, only for her to grab him from behind and throw him at the nearest wall. He grabbed the stair railing, stopping the impact from happening, but was clearly a little shaken. Spike ran at her again, only to be tripped. He face planted on the ground with a groan. After jumping to his feet, he charged at her again.

This continued for a few minutes until Perry had finally had enough. She lifted him off his feet, slammed him onto the ground, then climbed on top of the lobby bench. Spike stood up after a moment, shaking his head with a confused expression on his face.

"Calla?" Chase called hesitantly, staring up at Perry.

Before any of us could give him any type of warning, Perry shouted "VIVA LA PERRY!" and jumped on top of him, landing on him as they hit the ground.

"Ooh." We groaned sympathetically. That had to hurt. Perry slammed him into the ground a couple of times before lying on top of him, exhausted. Calla ran over to Chase, kneeling by his head.

"Hey babe." I heard her greet. He looked up at her, confused.

"Why am I being smothered by a female Mexican wrestler in a pantsuit?" He demanded. She let out a light laugh.

"I'll fill you in later." She assured him, tossing a bit of popcorn in her mouth. She held the rest out to him. "You want some?"

Chase's POV

I groaned as even more kids walked by us, mimicking Perry and Spike's fight. I was never going to live this down for as long as I lived.

"Well Chase, you finally got what you wanted. You're no longer invisible." Leo tried to be optimistic. "You'll forever be known as the kid who got pinned by Principal Perry."

"Thank you Leo." Now can we just drop the whole thing?

"Pinned like a butterfly on a science teacher's wall." He continued, smiling.

"Gotcha Leo." I said through gritted teeth.

"You know, if being pinned was a talent, you would've won." He offered. Finally having enough, I decided to show him my new talent.

"AHH!" I slammed my fists down on the table, mimicking Spike's roar with perfection. Leo ran off with a scream, leaving his lunch of roast beef on the table.

"That little trick is going to come in handy." I decided, grabbing his lunch. I'd wanted to show Calla, but I hadn't been able to find her this morning.

Calla's POV

"Aha!" I shouted as I leapt out from behind the bookshelf. Kieran, whom I finally found, fell to the ground, surprised by my sudden appearance.

"Calla?" He questioned, shocked. I smirked.

"So, you wanted to talk?" I asked cheerfully. Kieran's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry, it was nothing really." He apologized quickly, getting to his feet. "I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"Why not?" I asked, crossing my arms. He sighed.

"It's complicated." He said. I gave him a look. "It's crazy."

"Crazy." I repeated. "K-Dog, my boyfriend is a bionic superhuman who got pinned by a Mexican wrestler in a pantsuit last night. My brother makes butter sculptures because it's fun. I work for a mad scientist. Trust me; I'm good with crazy."

"Calla, look. I shouldn't have texted you, just forget about it." He told me, trying to walk away. I grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Why are you hiding things from me?" I asked, a little hurt. "I'm your friend Kieran. If you're in some kind of trouble, tell me."

Kieran looked at me for a long while, trying to decide what to say. I could tell from the look on his face that he was debating telling me the truth. He sighed after a long moment. "Okay, there is one thing."

"Let's talk." I grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards a quiet spot in the library. Something was bothering him and I was going to find out what it was. No matter what.


	32. Rise of the Secret Soldiers

Kieran's POV

God, I knew texting Calla was a bad idea the moment I sent her that message. I shouldn't have gotten her involved. I mean, what was I supposed to tell her? That I think I'm bionic? That I think that my dreams might be more than dreams? She would think I was crazy! I mean, she'd been humouring me so far when it came to the dreams. I could tell that she didn't really believe that they meant anything, but she was trying to be nice. And maybe I could still tell her about the dreams without sounding like a madman, but there was no way I could tell her about the bionics!

She'd either laugh in my face or accuse me of lying. And if I showed her them, then what? I didn't know how I got them, who gave them to me, or even when I got them! And from what little Calla has told me about Adam, Bree, and Chase's adventures (even though the world knows about them, they're still a little secretive about what really goes on in that secret lab of theirs) the few times they'd met other bionic people, it hadn't gone well for them. Would she even still trust me if I told her? Or would she go straight to Adam, Bree, and Chase's dad? I'd never met the guy, but since Chase was pretty hostile to me and I wasn't that close with the others, I wasn't sure what to expect.

No, I couldn't tell Calla. She and Leo were pretty much the only friends I had at this school. Well, there was Caleb too, but…I don't know, he didn't seem like that nice a guy at times. I couldn't risk losing Calla's friendship over this. I guess I would just have to figure this out myself.

The problem was, Calla wasn't the type of girl to let things go. I'd avoided her the first day and had hoped that by time the weekend was over, she'd have forgotten all about my text message. No such luck. I didn't, however, expect her to track me down and leap at me in the school library.

"Aha!" I stumbled to the grounded, surprised when a certain brunette jumped out of the shadows. I stared up at her, blinking away my confusion.

"Calla?" I questioned, eyes wide. She smirked playfully, crossing her arms.

"So, you wanted to talk?" She asked, her tone light. I stared at her. Damn, that girl was persistent.

"I'm sorry." I apologized, climbing to my feet and brushing off my pants. "It was nothing, really. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

Calla's forehead creased in confusion. "Why not?" She asked.

I sighed. "It's complicated." She raised an eyebrow at that, clearly needing a better reason to give up on the topic. "It's crazy."

"Crazy? K-Dog, my boyfriend is a bionic superhuman who got pinned by a Mexican wrestler in a pantsuit last night. My brother makes butter sculptures because it's fun. I work for a mad scientist. Trust me – I'm good with crazy."

I decided not to question why Chase had been pinned by a Mexican wrestler in a pantsuit. Apparently, I'd missed something at the talent show. "Calla, look. I shouldn't have texted you." I told her, starting to walk away. "Just forget about it."

I felt her grab my arm and I stopped. "What are you hiding from me?" I could tell she was hurt by the fact that I was keeping things from her. "I'm your friend, Kieran. If you're in some kid of trouble, tell me."

I looked at her, trying to think of something to say. Maybe I could tell her. Maybe she would understand…But maybe she wouldn't. There was no way I could tell her about the bionics. Not yet, anyway. I needed to figure out what the hell was happening with me first. But maybe there was something I could tell her… "Okay, there is one thing."

Calla nodded and grabbed my wrist, pulling me towards the back of the library. She didn't release me from her grip until we'd reached the cross-section between the biographies and maps. Unless there was a major research project going on in one of the classes, we wouldn't be bothered back here.

"I always hide back here when I want to get away from the idiots in this place." Calla explained, pulling out two seat cushions from under the bookshelf. "Leo comes here to play cards some times."

"Figures." I chuckled to myself, sitting down on one of them. Calla gave me a confused look. "Only you would choose to hang out in a library in your spare time."

"Says the boy who's constantly reading biology books for fun." She retorted playfully.

"Hey, I like animals." I defended myself. She nodded.

"Yeah, I know. K-Dog the animal whisperer." She teased as she made herself comfortable, leaning against the bookshelf behind her. I rolled my eyes at her. "Okay, now seriously. What's going on?"

I sighed, leaning back on my hands. "You really get into other people's business." I commented.

"Yeah, well I don't like it when my friends avoid me when I haven't done anything wrong." She replied. Suddenly, she frowned. "Wait, I haven't done anything to piss you off, right?"

"Were you the one who stole my burrito yesterday?" I asked.

"No."

"Then no." I replied. I shook my head to clear it. "It's just…those stupid dreams. They're messing with my head."

"They still won't go away, huh?" Calla guessed. I shook my head. "Okay, tell me about them. Your mysterious girl. Is she still calling you K-9?"

I couldn't tell if the curiosity in her voice was real or fake. I decided to believe it was real. "Yeah, and I know her name now too."

"What is it?" Okay, the curiosity was definitely real. Calla's eyes were lit up, and I could practically see the wheels turning in her head. I knew that she liked mysteries, so she was obviously trying really hard to figure this one out.

"Um…R-10." I replied. Calla raised an eyebrow.

"R-10?" She repeated. "Okay, this is getting a bit weird."

Oh, she had no idea. "Yeah, I know."

Calla sucked in a breath, letting it out slowly as she thought of something to say. "Kieran? Now, don't take this offensively, but have you ever thought of seeing a psychiatrist?"

"For my dreams?" I asked. She nodded.

"Well, yeah. Maybe he or she could help you figure out what they mean. I'm not that good at interpreting things like this." She gave me a half-shrug. "Sorry man."

"Well, what would you say if Adam or Leo came to you with these dreams?" I asked. She thought about it.

"Stop eating cold pizza before bed?" She replied uncertainly. I nodded.

"Right, will do." She looked at me.

"Seriously? Do all guys eat cold pizza as a late night snack?" She questioned. I chuckled.

"Do all girls eat cookie dough ice cream after a break up?" I challenged. Calla opened her mouth to object, then her jaw snapped shut.

"Only sometimes." She muttered, obviously guilty of the stereotype. I smirked, about to tease her when her phone vibrated.

"Chase?" I asked as she reached for it. She shook her head.

"Jaden. Apparently, there's a package waiting for me at the house…" She trailed off, frowning. Then she brightened up. "Oh, it's the stuff for Leo's present!"

"His Christmas present?" I asked. She nodded. "Isn't it a bit late?"

"It's a Christmas/birthday present because it's just that awesome." She told me. I smirked.

"What is it?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Can't tell you." She replied. I pouted slightly.

"Not even an itsy-bitsy hint?" I asked. She laughed.

"He's been begging for this for…years actually. I figured it was about time someone granted his wish." She smirked to herself. "I've got to get home. It's not ready yet and I want to finish it soon."

"Okay." I agreed. She looked at me with that concerned look back in her eyes.

"Did you have anything else you needed to talk about? Leo's present can wait." She offered. I shook my head.

"Nah, that was it." I lied. She didn't look like she quite believed me, but didn't push me.

"Alright then. Sorry I couldn't be much help." She apologized. "I'll see you on Monday?"

"Yeah, sure." I agreed, standing up and helping her put the cushions back in their hiding place. "See you Calla."

"Bye Kieran." She called, walking out of the library. I watched her go, wondering if I should have told about the bionics.

Calla's POV

"So, did you hear about that astrology cruise they're doing in a few months? It lines up perfectly with our Spring Break. We could go together." I mentioned Chase, popping a carrot stick into my mouth. He nodded.

"Yeah, I read about it online. It sounds so fun." He agreed. "But I can't go."

"Why don't you ask Mr. Davenport?" I asked, looking up as Bree and Adam entered the room. Chase sighed.

"I did. He refused on the grounds that I could be called for a mission at any time." He growled. "It's not fair."

"Agreed." I nodded just as the door flung open. Leo walked in, a box tucked under his arm.

"Good news my famous bionic peeps. And Calla." He greeted. "Your new PR guy came through big time."

Leo was so pleased about becoming the new PR guy. Honestly, I didn't see what the big deal was, but hey, it meant less work for me.

"Please tell me it's not another celebrity game show." Chase pleaded, spinning around in his seat to face Leo. "We always lose."

"Probably because one of us keeps hitting the buzzer too soon and doesn't know the answer." Bree sent a pointed look in Adam's direction. He shrugged.

"In my defence, I thought hitting the buzzer was the right answer." He exclaimed. We all just shook our heads at him and turned back to Leo.

"Remember that magazine interview I had you guys do? Well the article just came out thanks to your truly, Leo Dooley of Dooley Entertainment, the subsidiary of LeoCorp."

Grinning, the guys jumped to their feet and pulled a magazine out of the box. Chase tossed me one before grabbing his own and I took a look at the front cover. One look told me that it hadn't gone the way they'd expected it.

"Wait, the reporter interviewed all of us. Why is Adam the only one on the cover?" Bree demanded. I smirked, reading the title next to Adam. It read: 'Adam Davenport, Bionic Hottie. How does he do it?'

Adam laughed, reading the same thing. Chase flipped to the article itself and scanned it through. "This whole article makes it sound like Adam's in charge!" He exclaimed in an annoyed tone. "'Adam Davenport is the bionic team's leader, strongman, and all around superstar'?"

"Finally, someone gets how things work around here!" Adam grinned, not at all displeased with how things turned out.

"Hey, listen to this." Bree said to us, looking closely at the article. "'Along with Adam's little brother, the girl helps him on missions.' It's like you and I don't even exist!"

"What are you talking about? You guys are mentioned right here." Adam objected. "Bree and Chase Davenport not pictured."

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Mr. Davenport asked, walking into the kitchen. Chase and Bree turned to him, furious.

"This article totally misrepresents how our team works!" Chase exclaimed. "People are going to think that Adam is the only one who does anything."

"Oh, don't worry." Adam assured him. "I'll set the record straight and tell them the girl does stuff too."

"Guys, don't worry about it. The media distorts everything." Mr. Davenport told us. "I mean, one time an article said that I was 'self-absorbed'! Me!" He laughed, then turned serious again. "Look, the important thing is you know the truth about who you are and what you do."

Raising an eyebrow, I read a passage from the article. "'We also spoke to Leo Dooley, the bionic team's brilliant mastermind.'"

"What?" Mr. Davenport snatched the article away from me. "That's it! I'm calling my lawyer!"

Chase's POV

"Guys!" I called, walking into the lab with Bree and Adam right behind me. Leo was at his desk, texting while Calla was making improvements to her plasma gun. "Look at this."

"Look at what?" Calla sighed, getting up and walking over to us. She took the IPad from my hands.

"It's bad enough that magazines are twisting the facts, but now gossip sites are writing all sorts of lies about us."

"Yeah, like I can't keep a boyfriend!" Bree exclaimed, annoyed.

"And that I'm a nerd!" I agreed.

"And also a bunch of stuff that isn't true!" Adam added. Calla kept reading some of them, while Leo didn't seem surprised.

"Guys, this is the price of fame. Now you see why I've chosen to live my bionic life out of the spotlight." He mentioned. "And take my modest, twenty-five percent cut as your manager."

"Twenty-five percent?" Calla's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? I'm the one doing all the hard work around here, and I'm only getting ten percent!"

"Look, we'll discuss your pay checks later. This is wrong." I told them. "The world is not seeing us for who we really are."

"Yeah." Bree agreed. "People need to know that I am a humble, down to earth, supermodel."

"Look, I have a fix." Leo assured us, getting to his feet. He led us over to a table in the corner of the lab. "When you guys first went public, a production company wanted show to do a live reality show about you guys, but Big D shot them down."

"Why?" I asked. Calla rolled her eyes.

"One hint: guess who wasn't going to be the star." She replied, shaking her head as she looked back at the IPad.

"Big D's going away on a business trip, so I'll call the company and let them know we've reconsidered." Leo told us. "They'll send a camera crew to follow you around."

We grinned. That wasn't that bad of an idea. "Yes. Then the whole world will see how things really are."

"And it will be live, so they won't be able to manipulate the truth." Bree added. Calla didn't look too convinced.

"Guys, I'm not so sure. When it comes to live TV, anything that can go wrong usually does." She pointed out. We ignored her.

"Good idea, Leo." Adam commented. Leo grinned, taking a sip of his tea.

"Well, as the article says, I am the bionic team's brilliant mastermind."

Calla smirked, still going through the rumours. "I wouldn't be so sure about that, Dooley.

Leo frowned. "What do you mean?" He asked. Calla's smirk grew.

"Well, according to this website, you are Adam, Bree, and Chase's 'adorable eight year old sidekick, Lee Clooney."

"What? Give me that!" Leo pulled the IPad away from Calla. He read it quickly, an annoyed expression on her face. "That's Adam's blog." He pointed out. Calla frowned and showed it to Adam. He grinned.

"Yep, that's mine. I spelled my own name wrong." He took the IPad from her to correct the spelling error.

Calla's POV

"Great, we'll see the camera crew here tomorrow." Leo nodded to me as he entered the kitchen, a phone held to his ear. He got an annoyed expression on his face. "Yes, I am a great negotiator for an eight year old."

I stifled a laugh at that just as the doorbell rang. "I got it!" I called as Leo hung up the phone. I opened the door to see Principal Perry standing there, wearing a large grey trench coat with many pockets. "What are you doing here, and why are you wearing that coat?"

Perry pushed past me into the house. "Calla's right." Leo agreed, looking at her. "You look more suspicious than usual."

"I just thought I would drop by and see how my good friends, the Davenports, were doing." She replied. Leo and I exchanged looks, but before we could away anything, Perry gasped. "Whoa! Look! There's a mountain lion in your yard!"

"Really?" "Where?" Leo and I ran to the window. Although it was extremely rare to even see a mountain lion, tales of them walking into towns were not unheard of out here.

But looking out the window, we couldn't see anything but green grass and asphalt roads. "I don't see anything!" Leo exclaimed.

"Keep looking, something will show up!" Perry called back. I turned around to see her stuffing things into her pockets.

"Leo." I murmured. He turned to face Perry.

"There's nothing there." He told her. I raised an eyebrow at our principal.

"What's in your coat, Perry?" I asked.

"Nothing." She lied. I reached forward and shook it out, several items falling to the floor. "Like I said, nothing."

"Really? You're stealing from us?" For some reason, Leo was surprised to learn that Perry would go that low. Perry rolled her eyes.

"Well not anymore!" She exclaimed. We just looked at her, shaking our heads in mock-disappointment. "Once Adam, Bree, and Chase became famous, I made a fortune auctioning off their bionic belongs online. But then I ran out." Perry explained. "Now I have to restock."

She then shoved the salt and pepper shakers into her pockets. "Put those back!" Leo demanded. Perry smirked.

"You're going to have to catch me first." She replied, dashing for the door. Leo and I didn't even bother moving, watching in boredom as a leg cramp made her curl up on the couch.

Chase's POV

"People, we go live in two minutes." Leo warned us. It was almost time for the reality show and we were all getting ready. Even Calla, Jaden and Leo were getting their make-up done by the professional make-up artists. While Calla and Leo seemed to be enjoying it, Jaden thought it was downright girly.

"So, why am I here again?" He asked, sitting down next to Bree.

"Because the world needs to know that I can keep a boyfriend." She replied, not looking up from the mirror she was fixing her hair in.

"Uh, guys." I tapped Bree's shoulder, watching in horror as Mr. Davenport walked into the room.

"Calla, Leo, why is there a camera crew in here?" He questioned. They both froze.

"Um, it's for a new TV show we're filming?" Leo lied nervously. Calla nodded.

"It's called 'What Happened To Your Business Trip?'" She raised her eyebrows at us, motioning for us to play along.

"What happened to your business trip?" We asked in unison. Mr. Davenport grabbed Calla and Leo by the arms, dragging them away from the camera crew.

"I told you, I don't want people seeing our private lives. The more people see, the more they'll criticize every move Adam, Bree, and Chase make and it'll start messing with their heads!"

"People already are criticizing us!" Bree pointed out. "That's why we're doing this, so they can see the truth. And my new highlights."

Mr. Davenport looked at us. "You have nothing to prove. And by doing this, you're just feeding into the frenzy."

"That's easy for you to say! You aren't dragged through the mud on a daily basis!" I argued. "There are rumours online that I'm expecting twins!"

That earned stares from everyone. "Are you sure that was a rumour, and not fanfiction, Chase?" Calla asked, smirking slightly. Bree frowned at her.

"People have been writing fanfiction about us?" She demanded. Calla nodded.

"Not the point." She declared. "Mr. Davenport, they do have a point. Set the truth free, or whatever that quote is."

He sighed. "For the record, I think going on television is a huge mistake-"

"We're live!" Leo hissed and Mr. Davenport's attitude changed instantly. He spun to face the camera, grinning.

"Hello! Hi, I'm Donald Davenport, brilliant genius inventor, who-"

"Was just leaving." Leo said.

"No, I'm not." He replied.

"You do know the camera adds ten pounds." Calla pointed out. He hesitated, looking down at himself. "And in that outfit, it's more like twenty."

Mr. Davenport smiled at the camera. "Excuse me while I change into something a little more flattering."

He ran off down the hall, leaving Calla and Leo smirking until Leo realized something. "Wait, stay out of my closet!"

Leo ran after him and Calla sighed. She looked at the camera. "Well, I'm Calla Parker and I will be right back."

She turned to me. "I'm going to go deal with that. Don't mess this up." She growled the last bit before running down the hall after them. I smiled and looked at the camera.

"Hi everybody, I'm Chase!" I greeted. "This is the lab where we train for missions…well actually," I smirked," they train for missions. I'm always mission ready."

Bree scoffed. "Uh, your shoe's untied." I bent down to retie my shoe while Bree stepped forward to the camera.

"Just to set the record straight, I can keep a boyfriend. He's right…" She turned around to realize Jaden had left as well. I figured he would have – he hadn't thought this was a good idea either. "Well, apparently I lost him, but he's cute, so ha!"

I stood up, about to add something else when Adam returned to the room, without a shit on. The cameramen turned to point their cameras at him, and he began striking poses for the audience.

"Adam, what are you doing?" I questioned.

"What I do everyday at this time!" He shouted, not taking his eyes off the camera. "Leading the bionic team by doing strength poses!"

We just shook our heads at him, about to tell him to knock it off when an alarm came from the computer. Recognizing the sound immediately, I glanced at the others.

"It's the president with a mission alert!" I ran to the computer to accept the call.

"That means there's an emergency somewhere." Bree explained to the cameras.

"Mr. President, we got the alert." I greeted the man on the screen.

"Listen, there's a power surge at a major electrical tower, and it's too dangerous for anyone else to handle it." The president explained. "I need you to fix the broken transformer before it blows and starts a nation-wide chain reaction."

"We're on it." I promised. He nodded.

"Good luck. The country is counting on you." We nodded and he pointed at Adam. "And would also like you to put a shirt on."

The screen turned off and we turned to the cameras once more. "Hear that?" Bree asked. "The president is asking us for help."

"Come on. We have to go." I told them. Bree frowned.

"What about the cameras?" She asked. I smirked, already having thought about that.

"Bring them with us. That way people can see what really happens when we save the world."

Adam grinned, lying his arm on top of my head as if it was an armrest. "Good idea, little brother."

I pushed the arm off, disgusted. "It's mission time!" Adam shouted, grabbing his mission suit shirt and jacket off a chair and running out of the room. We followed him instantly.

Calla's POV

"You ditched them, didn't you?" I asked, watching Jaden sneak into the living room. He nodded with a sigh.

"I came her to hang out with my girlfriend, not be on TV." He replied. "I love her, but Bree needs to realize that I'm not arm candy that she can show off whenever she wants."

I chuckled, sitting down on the couch. "She's only doing that because the rumour bothered her so much."

"And I don't get why it would!" Jaden argued. "Who cares if people think she can't keep a boyfriend? We both know the truth, and in my opinion, that's all that matters."

I smiled softly. "You really don't get it, do you?" I realized. He frowned and I shook my head. "Jaden, the only reason that rumour hit her so hard is because she's afraid that she is going to lose you."

"Why would she think that?" Jaden looked so confused, like a lost puppy. I shrugged.

"Because she's in love with you and love makes us girls nervous." I told him. "Do you seriously think that all those rumours about Chase and Sabrina and Chase and Skylar weren't making me a little insecure before Chase talked to me about them?"

"You're never insecure." He pointed out. I shrugged.

"Sometimes. But of course Chase made sure I knew that they were just that – rumours." I looked at him. "Jaden, just talk to her. Let her know that she's not going to lose you, and I'm sure she'll relax."

Jaden looked at me. "When did you become so smart?"

I stuck my tongue out at him. "I've always been this smart."

He opened his mouth to reply or to tease me, but never got a chance to say anything. "Okay, we're here!" The sounded like Principal Perry. "I'll ring the doorbell. If no one answers, I'll just knock her down."

"Is that Perry?" Leo asked, walking into the kitchen. The doorbell rang and I rushed to open the door. Perry walked in, a group of what appeared to be tourists following her.

"Right this way folks!" She announced. "Ignore the kids – they're window dressing."

"What are you doing?" Leo demanded as people ran in, taking photos of pretty much everything.

"Since you won't let me steal stuff, I'm giving bionic house tours." Perry replied. "A gal's got to make a buck somehow."

"Bionic house tours?" Jaden repeated, although our principal ignored him. She turned to crowd.

"Who's enjoying Terry Perry's bionic experience?" She asked. The tourists clapped and cheered.

"You can't give tours of our house! This is private property!" Leo shouted, clearly upset. If Perry noticed, she ignored it.

"So is the fountain at the mall, but I still drain it for bus money." She replied before turning back to the tourists. "Those of you who purchased the meal option, the bionic fridge is over there. It's all you can eat, but SAVE ME SOME SALAMI!"

"Perry, get them out of here, or I'll call the police." Jaden threatened, crossing his arms.

"Go for it." She challenged. I smirked.

"And your parole officer." I added. She looked at me for a moment, trying to decide if I was serious, then spun around when she realized I was.

"Alright folks, let's take it outside!" She called, leading her people away. I smirked and grabbed the TV remote.

"So, who wants to watch our favourite bionics on live TV?" I asked, changing the channel to show Adam, Bree, and Chase at some electrical plant. We had no way of knowing that a disaster was about to unfold.

Chase's POV

"Alright, listen up, bionic subordinates!" I shouted once we reached the mission site. Okay, maybe I was going a little overboard with this (or, at least that's what Calla would say if she was here) but I needed the viewers to realize that I was the one in charge, not Adam. "Here's my plan. Bree, use your superspeed to see if the power surge has spread to any other towers."

"Oh, I get it. You just want me off camera!" She accused. I glared at her, although I knew that she was partially true.

"I want you to follow orders." I snapped. "Adam, you can stand over there since there's nothing to lift or hit."

He chuckled. "Oh Chase, with you around, there's always something to hit."

He punched me hard in the arm before walking off camera. I rubbed my sore arm, then focused on showing off for the camera some more. "You see, fixing an electrical transformer is a walk in the park. I'll just use my telekinesis to stabilize it. That's right folks, mission leader."

I stepped towards the transformer when I heard Adam speak to the camera. "Now get ready everybody. This is where he touches his temple. Ooh."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not going to touch my temple!" I snapped. "I'm going to hold my hand out like this."

Raising my arm, I got ready to fix the transformer. Bree, however, didn't seem to happy with my plan.

"While he does that, I'm going to use my superspeed to speed up the tower and fix the transformer." She ran forward, but I stopped her with telekinesis, holding her in place. "Let go of me, Chase!" She cried, glaring back at me over her shoulder.

"Step aside children." Adam told us. He looked at the camera. "Daddy's got this."

He started forward, but I couldn't let him take the spotlight from me. "No you don't!" I shouted, jumping onto his back.

Unfortunately for Bree, she hadn't expected me to release her and she sped forward right into the tower. She hit a beam with a loud clang before dropping to the ground. "Ow!" She groaned, sitting up slowly while I tried to stop Adam from ruining things.

In the middle of our fight, I heard her shout. "Keep fighting boys, I'm going up!"

"I don't think so!" Adam called, running at her with me still on his back. He grabbed her around the waist, pulling her away from the tower.

Suddenly, my bionic hearing picked up a startling noise. "Watch out!" I called, leaping off of Adam just as a massive electrical wire swung towards the ground. "Stay back!" I had to shout to be heard over the electrical sparks. "Those are live wires. Don't touch them!"

"Please don't tell me that was main transformer." Bree pleaded. I sighed.

"We were so busy arguing, it blew up." I suddenly remembered the cameras. "And the whole world just saw it."

Calla's POV

"Well?" I heard Leo call from behind me. I bit my tongue as I rewired some of the wires.

"Give me five seconds!" I called back, fixing the last of the wires. Suddenly, the whirl of electricity filled the air. I smirked, crawling out from under the generator. "Do we have power?"

Jaden hit on one of the light switches and the lights flickered on in the lab. "Yep, nice work."

"Thanks." I replied, accepting his hand up. Most of the country was without power, but Mr. Davenport had made sure that the lab's power ran on a different source than the rest of the house. It had been ideal for keeping the lab a secret for the past few years, and in case of black out, the lab would still be operational. Suddenly, we heard footsteps and angry shouts.

"I can't believe we blew the mission!" That was Chase. We all exchanged looks and headed out of the back room.

"Chase, relax. All we have to do is create a bigger disaster somewhere else and people will forget all about this." Adam assured him.

"What the hell were you thinking?" I demanded, storming into the main part of the lab.

"That explosion took out power grids all over the country!" Jaden added. Leo nodded and showed them a computer screen.

"You grounded flights, caused traffic accidents. People are freaking out." He told them. Bree turned to Chase.

"This is all your fault." She accused. "If you had just let me go up the tower, none of this would have ever happened!"

"Don't blame me! You guys are the ones who didn't follow orders!" He retorted, just as furious.

"Yeah, because they were stupid orders!" Adam snapped. "And don't drag me into this, it was Bree's fault!"

Bree stared at him. "How is this my fault?" She demanded. Adam shrugged.

"I don't know. You were next in the blame circle!" He exclaimed. They began arguing with each other while we watched.

"Knock it off! You're all to blame." Mr. Davenport shouted, walking into the room and successfully shutting them up. "And everybody knows it because it's on every news channel in the world."

To prove his point, Leo showed them one of the many, many news headlines. It read: Bionic Teens Cause Nationwide Blackout

"People are furious." Mr. Davenport continued. "They're saying you're irresponsible, that you can't be trusted. You've managed to turn the whole world against you."

"I know how we can fix this." Leo said suddenly, a thoughtful look on his face. "A commercial-free sit down with opera. Which one of you cries best?"

He already had his phone out, ready to make the call. "This can not be fixed with PR." Mr. Davenport snapped. He looked at the bionics again. "Do you realize the gravity of what you've done?"

Suddenly, an alarm came from the computer. "What's that?" Jaden asked, having never been in the lab when we got one of these calls.

"That would be the presumably very angry president." I replied, reading the message. I looked at Mr. Davenport. "He wants a video-conference with us in twenty minutes."

Mr. Davenport started crying. "This is bad, this is really, really bad!" He cried, weeping like a child. We watched him for a moment, then glanced at Leo.

"Call Opera, I've think I've found our crier." I told him. He nodded, already dialling the number.

Xxx

"Yes, my clients have upset some people. How much would it cost to send some fruit baskets to the east coast?" Leo, talking on the phone, entered the living room. Jaden and I were already on the couch, trying to think of a way to fix this. We had been on all the websites we could think of, trying to defend Adam, Bree, and Chase, but to no avail. Every time we brought up a time that they saved the world, we were shot down by more and more haters. "No, no. The entire east coast." Leo corrected. He frowned, then glanced at me. "Calla, how much money does Big D have in his bank accounts?"

Before I could answer, Perry walked in, carrying a t-shirt in one hand. "You Daven-dorks killed my business!" She accused.

Leo sighed. "I'm going to have to call you back." He told whomever he was speaking with before hanging. He looked at Perry. "What?"

"Now that everybody hates the bionic freaks, I can't sell a single ticket or souvenir. And I just spent ten grand making T-shirts." She held up the shirt for us to see. It read: Terry Perry's Bionic Bonanza! in black letters with Adam, Bree, and Chase's pictures in the middle.

"Bree's not the leader of the team, Perry." Jaden pointed out. She frowned and looked down at the shirt.

"That's not Bree, that's Chase." She replied. Jaden bit back a chuckle, while I glared at Perry. The Chase-is-a-girl jokes were seriously getting old.

Suddenly, the sound of chanting came from outside. "I thought you said you couldn't sell any tour tickets." Leo frowned, glancing at the door. I sat my laptop down on the coffee table, opened the door, and stepped onto the porch.

"Who cares if they're bionic? The kids are near moronic!" I was greeted by a large crowd of angry people holding protest signs. As far as protest chants go, it was actually kind of creative, but it was still a terrifying sight. I backed up into the house, closing the door behind me and leaning against it.

"Leo, you have an angry mob on your lawn." I informed said boy. Eyes widening, Leo poked him head out the door. He shut it seconds later.

"Well that's just great!" He exclaimed sarcastically. I sighed and looked at Jaden.

"Call Mom, see if she and some of her other officers can deal with this." I ordered. Jaden nodded, pulling out his phone and stepping into the kitchen to make the call.

"Big D's going to freak out." He said. He glanced at Perry. "You should go talk to them."

"Me? Why me?" She protested.

"I don't know! I just figured that you had more experience with angry mobs!" Leo replied, looking slightly panicked. I didn't blame him for that one.

"Well, yeah, but to be fair, I'm usually the one starting them!" Perry replied. She sighed. "Alright, out of my way."

She pushed past us and headed outside, the door closing behind her. I looked at Leo, unsure of how we could possibly fix this. Fruit baskets weren't going to work, that was for sure. "What are we going to do?"

Chase's POV

"Obviously, you've seen the consequences of your careless behaviour." The president was not pleased with us, as expected. And why should he be? Now that we'd all calmed down a little, the guilt was starting to hit us hard. "People from all over the country are extremely upset."

"Wait, because their power's out, or because they can't finish watching our awesome reality show?" Adam asked stupidly.

"We understand, Mr. President." Mr. Davenport assured him.

"We'll do everything we can to fix this." I agreed.

"I'm afraid fixing this is beyond your control." The president replied. "I'm getting calls from officials all over telling me to lock you up."

We all froze, eyes widening. No, they couldn't do that! "Lock us up?" Bree repeated.

"We messed up one mission. What about the hundreds of missions that were successful?" I demanded.

"Unfortunately, people only care about what they saw on TV." The president pointed out. He waited a moment for that to sink in, then added, "But I still believe in you. So I'm going to hold a press conference to try and convince the country to stand by you."

At least someone had our backs. "Thank you."

"In the meantime, no more missions. Don't leave the house, don't talk to anyone." We all nodded, then Adam frowned.

"Did we just get grounded by the president?" He asked. Thinking about it, he was right. For once.

The president signed off, and I looked at the others. "Think Calla, Jaden, and Leo are still mad at us?" I asked. Mr. Davenport sighed.

"Go." He gestured at the elevator. Knowing that he wanted time away from us, we did as we were told. When we got upstairs, we could hear shouts from outside. Leo was standing by the door, ear pressed to it, Jaden was pacing the room, his arms crossed, and Calla was on the couch, tapping her hands nervously against her closed laptop.

"What's going on?" I asked. Both Calla and Jaden stopped what they were doing, and all three of our friends looked at us.

"You guys have your own angry mob. Congrats." Calla told us sarcastically. We stared at her, then turned to the others for a more in-depth explanation.

"Angry protestors that are demanding that you leave Mission Creek." Jaden explained.

"What?" Adam demanded. I looked at him.

"Well to be honest, I'm surprised that they didn't ask you to leave years ago." I commented.

"Chase." Calla scolded with a shake of her head. "Not now."

"Wait, why do they want us to move?" Bree asked, looking at us. "This is our home."

I sighed. "Okay, the president said that he was going to take care of things." I reminded her, trying to stop her from freaking out. "Let's just stay calm and hope for the best."

"I already called my mom and she's getting some guys to disperse the crowd." Jaden assured my sister, hugging her from behind. "And Perry's outside dealing with things."

"Shouldn't one of us check on her?" Leo asked looking at Calla and I. "She's been out there for twenty minutes already."

"Good idea. We'll stay here." Calla replied. He gave her a look, but opened the door to head onto the porch. He was greeted by Perry, who was leading a new chant.

"Go away freaks! Get out of Mission Creek!" She chanted, holding a red sign that said 'Stop bionics'.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Leo demanded, staring at her.

"Getting on the right side of history." She replied. Leo rolled his eyes and pulled her inside, closing the door.

"You're supposed to be helping us!" Leo shouted.

"I know, but I still have a ton of T-shirts and stuff, so now I'm selling bionic souvenirs so people can burn them!" She exclaimed cheerfully.

"Perry!" Calla growled. Perry sighed.

"Look, I can see you're upset, and despite my enjoyment of it, I'm going to make it up to you." She decided. She grabbed her megaphone, opened the door, and shouted, "Attention unwashed masses, remove yourselves from the premises! Don't make me get my crossbow!"

Instead of leaving, they began throwing garbage and tomatoes at her (seriously, where did they get the tomatoes?). "Dooley, do something!" Perry ordered, getting behind Leo.

"Alright, back off!" He ordered. They did not. "Now!" He shouted, raising his hand. A fireball shot from it, hitting the exterior wall. Everyone froze. "Uh-oh."

"It's another bionic freak!" One of the people shouted. Calla jumped to her feet.

"Leo, close the door, now!" She ordered, but it was too late.

"Get him!" The crowd rushed forward, trying to pull Leo outside. Bree, Calla, and I rushed forward, grabbing Leo's hands.

"Help me!" He shouted as we tried to save him from the angry mob.

"Hey, get out of here!" Adam shouted. They continue to pull our brother out the door. "Leo!"

Suddenly, Adam's superman breath started blowing the protestors out the door, enabling us to pull Leo inside.

"Adam's don't!" We heard Mr. Davenport shout, but it was too late. Half the crowd was already blown across the lawn, and Adam refused to stop until our porch was clear of the protestors.

"Don't what?" He asked when he was done, looking at Mr. Davenport. We all sighed, knowing that Adam had just made the biggest mistake possible.

Calla's POV

Within the hour, news of Adam's 'attack' on the public had spread. It was being played on every news channel, on all the radio stations, and even though the angry mob hadn't reformed, none of us dared to leave the house.

"They think we're dangerous!" Bree cried, clearly upset. Mr. Davenport turned to Leo, who was sitting next to me on the couch.

"What were you thinking, using your bionic arm?" He questioned the boy.

"In my defence, I wasn't thinking!" Leo replied. Mr. Davenport gave him a look, but Chase stopped him before he could continue.

"Never mind him." Chase looked at Adam. "How could you attack those people?"

"I didn't attack them, I was trying to protect Leo." Adam defended himself. Bree sighed.

"Well good job. You sent ten protestors to the hospital." Bree informed him. Adam looked momentarily stunned.

"I didn't hear an ambulance!" He argued weakly, guilt all over his face. I looked at him.

"Adam, you blew them to the hospital." Aside from a couple of cuts and bruises, none of them had actually been hurt.

"Idiot." Chase muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear. Adam looked at him.

"I'm an idiot?" Adam questioned. Chase nodded, his jaw clenched angrily. "There wouldn't have been angry mob if our mission leader had done his job right!"

"Oh, really? I'm always saving your butt! If it weren't for me, you would have lasered your own face off by now!" Chase argued.

"This is getting ugly." Jaden murmured, looking at me. I nodded in agreement, not sure if we should intervene or not.

"What are you complaining about?" Bree demanded. "I'm the one who has to go on every mission with you two morons!"

"Then don't go!" Chase stepped towards his sister. "You've quit before, just do it again!"

"Chase!" Jaden jumped to his feet. "That's going a little too far, don't you think?"

They both ignored him. "Really?" Bree's voice was deadly calm. Never a good sign. "You're going to pull that one out? You know, if I remember correctly, you're the one who took off on us and went on a mission alone, Mr. Avalanche!"

"Hey, knock it off guys!" I exclaimed, walking towards them.

"So what if I did? I'm better off without having to carry you worthless dead-weights!" I stopped, stunned by the hatred in Chase's voice.

"ENOUGH!" Mr. Davenport shouted. They stopped and looked at him, though there was anger still in their eyes. "Would you listen to yourselves? Your selfish behaviour is tearing this team apart and I'm tired of it. Something has to change."

Mr. Davenport walked off without another word. Knowing that these guys had to figure some things out on their own, I led Leo and Jaden down to the lab to wait.

Chase's POV

"I told you to lay low! Why would you use your bionics on those people? I can't even defend you now." The president exclaimed. All of us, including Calla, Leo and Jaden, were down in the lab. They wanted to be here for this, though none of them agreed with our decision.

"You don't have to, Mr. President." I told him, my voice solemn.

"Of course I do." He sighed. "You now, people are terrified and they have every right to be."

"No, I mean you don't have to defend us anymore." I repeated myself. "Because as of today, we're dissolving the team."

The president blinked in surprised, taken back. "What?" He asked. "Davenport…is this true?"

Mr. Davenport stepped forward. "I'm sorry, Mr. President. I tried to talk them out of it. But their decision is final. They're done."

With that, we all went our separate ways.

TWO WEEKS LATER

Calla's POV

Things after that were…tough, to say the least. With Adam, Bree, and Chase not speaking to each other, it was pretty miserable in the Davenport household. Leo got the brunt of it, having to carry messages between the fighting siblings, while Jaden and I had to listen to our significant others complain about what had happened. Eventually, I'd had enough of it and told Chase that I wasn't going to listen to that kind of talk about my friends, but things were still pretty tense.

As for school, it was pretty bad there too. Mr. Davenport had the sense to pull all four of his kids out of school for the time being – possibly permanently, if people continued hating them the way they did. But Jaden and I still had to go and we were pretty unpopular. And once again, the number of friends we had dropped to about…one.

"You've got to be kidding me." I muttered when I saw my locker. Someone, or maybe multiple people, had posted signs on it. Most of them went along the lines of 'Tell the freaks to get lost or else!' or 'get rid of the monsters' or 'the bionics are freaks'! When I opened it, it was worse. The lock had been broken and all of my pictures of the Davenports had been scribbled on and my books were covered in what appeared to be a smoothie. I could only salvage a couple of pictures that weren't too badly ruined and my pencil case. I was suddenly thankful that I had my laptop, cell phone, and wallet with me. I had important documents and access codes on that laptop. It had access to pretty much all of Davenport Industries. If anyone had stolen that…

"Assholes." Kieran commented from behind me. I nodded silently, not daring to speak. If I did, I was either going to completely lose it, or I was going to screaming at some random kid. Neither one was a good option. I felt Kieran take the pencil case out of my hand. "C'mon. I've got room in my locker, and you can borrow some of my books."

"Thanks." I sighed, slamming the locker door and following him to his locker. Jaden met us there, a frustrated frown on his face. It turned into one of concern when he saw my face.

"What happened?" He demanded. I sighed and crossed my arms.

"My locker got vandalized. You?" I asked.

"I got kicked off the football team until I 'dump that bionic bitch'." He quoted before kicking a locker. "I told them to go to hell."

Kieran helped me put my pencil case and other surviving items onto one of the shelves in his locker. "Thanks." I said again. He shook his head.

"It's been two weeks, you think they'd lay off by now." He sighed. "This is ridiculous."

"What's ridiculous is that this school has no online courses." I muttered. Seeing his confusion expression, I elaborated. "I was going to change all my classes to online ones so I wouldn't have to come here, but no such luck."

"What are you going to do? Drop out?" Kieran joked. I shrugged.

"Maybe." I muttered. Jaden gave me a look.

"Don't even joke about that." I scowled, frustrated.

"Maybe, I'm not joking." I snapped. "Davenport would hire me in an instant. Besides, I've always been at the top of my classes. I could easily cope with university level online courses."

"Calla, you're not dropping out to take university courses." Jaden growled, going for the one thing that would piss me off.

"You don't get to tell me what to, Jaden!" I nearly shouted.

"Whoa, guys!" Kieran exclaimed, getting between us. "I know things have been stressful, but don't take it out on each other."

We both sighed, knowing he was right. "Sorry." I muttered at the same time as my brother.

"We good?" Kieran asked teasingly. I nodded.

"Yeah, sure." I checked the time to see that we still had an hour before classes restarted, then placed my laptop and the rest of my stuff into Kieran's locker. "Why don't we go have lunch in the library instead of the cafeteria?"

"Good idea." Jaden nodded. We started to head to the library when I noticed Kieran going through his locker. "Kieran, you coming?"

No answer. I frowned. "K-Dog!" I exclaimed. He started, having forgotten that we were there.

"Uh…I'll be right there. Just need to grab something." He called after us. I nodded and headed towards the library. He never showed up.

ONE WEEK LATER

Chase's POV

"Yes! Yes!" I exclaimed, almost jumping to my feet as the girl on the TV screen correctly spelled the word PIZZAZZ. I glanced at Leo's very bored expression. "I love the international spelling bee! That last word had 4 Zs in it."

"Yeah, a lot of Zs going on here too." He agreed absently. I looked past him to see Adam starting to stir from his nap. My smirk fell at the sight of him.

"Leo." Adam yawned, shifting in his seat. "Tell Chase that nerd hour is up. My home renovation show is on. The Piscarellis are turning their basement into a powder room."

Leo looked at me. "Chase, Adam wants to watch TV. Apparently, the Italians are putting in a toilet."

I heard Calla chuckle from the kitchen, where she was working on her laptop. I wasn't amused though. "Well you can tell Adam that he should have gotten here first."

Without looking at said imbecile, I turned the channel to the sci-fi channel. Doctor Who was going to start in a few minutes, and even though I'd already seen the episode, re-watching it was better than letting Adam have his way.

"He's not changing it." Leo told Adam.

"Tell Chase if he doesn't give me the remote, he's gonna get punched." Adam declared.

"Adam." Calla warned, not looking up from her work. Leo looked at me.

"Chase." He began.

"Not happening." I replied instantly. Leo turned his head to tell Adam when my older brother let out a shout and punched him in the arm.

"Ow!" Leo complained. I sat up to make sure Leo was okay. Just because Adam and I weren't speaking didn't give him an excuse to abuse our step-brother. "What was that for?"

"Sorry, I got confused! I thought you were Chase!" He apologized. "Can you punch him for me?"

Leo stood up suddenly, to our surprise. "That is it!" He exclaimed. "You guys haven't talked for weeks! You can break up the team, but your are not breaking up my family!"

We sat in silence. Neither of us really wanted to hurt Leo or be the one to 'break up the family' but I wasn't ready to speak to him, nor was he ready to speak to me.

"This is the part where you hug it out." Leo encouraged. "Then you say 'yeah Leo you're right! You're always right!' Isn't that what you say?"

Getting annoyed, I stepped into the kitchen and sat down next to Calla. "I'm not getting involved." She told me before I could even open my mouth. I sighed; she'd made it clear weeks ago that she wanted to part of our fight, and I felt obliged to try and behave around her.

"Relax, I wasn't going to say anything. Except, do you want to go out for dinner tonight?" I asked hopefully. Calla sent me a small smile.

"Sure." She agreed before checking her phone. I sighed.

"No sign of Kieran?" I guessed. She gave me a look.

"Chase, he bailed on lunch with me and Jaden a week ago, and no one's seen him since. It's like he vanished off the face of the earth. I'm allowed to be worried about him, aren't I?"

"Have you talked to your mom yet?" I asked, trying to be helpful. I never liked Kieran, but Calla seemed quite fond of him and his disappearance really had her upset. Which meant I had to pretend to be upset and I had to try and help.

Calla nodded. "She went to their house to talk to his parents and…" She lowered her voice, "…there was nothing there. Just an empty house. It looks like there'd been a few parties there, but there was nothing but a half-empty fridge, a few crappy mattresses, and a couple of flashlights. No sign that someone had actually lived there at all."

I frowned. That WAS strange. "Could you have the wrong address on file?" I suggested. Calla shrugged just as Mr. Davenport and Bree walked into the room.

"Mr. Davenport?" Bree was asking. "Can I have fifty dollars? I want to buy a bathing suit for my spring break trip to Hawaii."

"Sure yeah." To my surprise, Mr. Davenport pulled out his wallet without a complaint. "Can you get me one too? Ask the salesperson for a man-kini."

We all stared at him for that. "They'll tell you they don't exist, but trust me, they do." Bree just stared at him. "You know what? I'll get my own."

Bree accepted the money and grabbed a magazine off the coffee table. I looked at Mr. Davenport. "Hold on!" I exclaimed. "She's going to Hawaii? I asked if I could go on an astronomy cruise with Calla and you said no!"

"Yeah, but that was before you quit the team." Mr. Davenport pointed out. "Now that you've completely gutted my greatest achievement, I don't care what you do."

Ah, the guilt trip. He'd been trying to pull that on us for that past few weeks. It was impressive that he was still trying – Calla, Jaden, and Leo had all given up within the first week. Well, it wasn't going to work this time.

"Okay then. I'm off to buy me some Milky Way swim trunks." I ripped the money out of Bree's hands and headed for the door. But the second I opened it, she sped in front of me and took the money out of my hands.

"When will you learn?" She asked teasingly, speaking to me for the first time in weeks. The money clutched in her hand, she sped away, presumably to the mall.

"Here Chase." Mr. Davenport offered me a fifty from his wallet. "I'll take some Milky Way trunks too. I don't know how they're cut, so lean more Little Dipper than Big."

I bit back the lunch that was threatening to reappear. "You can keep your money." I told him. "Because that's not happening."

I walked out, deciding the just grab some money out of my savings account.

Calla's POV

"Donny!" When Leo, Mr. Davenport and I walked into the lab, Douglas was waiting for us. "Get in here, quick!"

To our surprise, the president was waiting for us on the video conference line. "Mr. President?" Mr. Davenport greeted, confused.

"He said he'd only talk to you." Douglas explained. "Apparently, I'm just the help."

"Thank you Douglas, that'll be all." Leo told him. I rolled my eyes.

"Douglas, wait." I stopped him before he could leave. "Can you make us some coffees? I'll take mine with 2 milks and 2 sugars."

"Davenport, a high security military base was breached and communications equipment was stolen." The president announced.

"I'm sorry to hear that, sir. Do you need some of my tracking technology?" Mr. Davenport offered.

"No. I need Adam, Bree, and Chase." The president replied.

"With all due respect, sir, they dissolved the team." Mr. Daveport reminded him. He nodded.

"Look, our international safety is more important than a squabble between besties." The president stated. "The vice-president and I are going through that right now. Drama! Fix this, and get them back on the job."

"Yes Mr. President." Mr. Davenport nodded.

"And if Adam, Bree, and Chase won't stop those criminals, then we will." Leo did a pose with his arms, the same pose he used to do back when he talked about joining the team. Back when the world was oblivious to Adam, Bree, and Chase's heroics. Back when things were so much simpler. I smiled at the memories, copying Leo's pose.

The president merely laughed. "Thanks kids." He smiled at us. "As awful as things are right now, it feels good to laugh."

The president signed off then. Leo and I smirked at each other before I grabbed my phone and sent a text to our bionic buddies.

To: Bree and Chase

911 Emergency! Need you home right now!

"Chase and Bree will be home in a few minutes. Adam's already upstairs watching some home renovation show." I informed Mr. Davenport. He nodded at me.

"Good work. You, Douglas and Leo, get whatever information you can on the burglary. I'll go talk to the guys." He ordered. We nodded and set to work immediately. I looked at Leo after he left and knew I wasn't the only one wondering if he could convince Adam, Bree, and Chase to come back for one last mission.

Chase's POV

I raced through the door just behind Bree, wondering what could be the reason for Calla's distressed text. Adam and Mr. Davenport were waiting for us.

"Hey, what's the emergency?" I demanded. Mr. Davenport sighed.

"The president called. There's an emergency and he needs you." He informed us.

"But we told him we quit." Bree reminded Mr. Davenport.

"Yeah, we don't even want to talk to each other. Why would we want to work together?" I asked.

"Yeah." Adam agreed. "And I'm not agreeing with him, I'm just emphasizing his point."

Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm getting tired of your selfish attitudes. It is your duty to complete this mission."

"No." I shook my head. "It was our duty. But then people started protesting against us on our own front lawn. Maybe the world needs to get a taste of what it's like without us."

"Yeah!" Adam exclaimed. "Still not agreeing with him. I just feel the exact same way he does."

We all started to walk away, knowing that our team was finished.

Calla's POV

"Shit!" I swore, looking at my IPad screen. Douglas looked up from his own.

"What's wrong?" He asked. I looked at him, eyes wide.

"This is the latest news about those criminals." I showed him my screen and his eyes widened when he saw it. "Look familiar?"

"Give me that." Douglas took my laptop from me and walked into the main lab. Adam, Bree, and Chase were in there, along with Leo, but no one was suited up for a mission. "Where's Donny?"

"Probably out trolling the streets for a new set of bionics kids to control." Leo replied with a shrug. Mr. Davenport walked in then.

"I heard that!" He called, startling Leo. He looked at Douglas. "What's wrong?"

"Remember those criminals that the president was talking about?" Douglas questioned. Mr. Davenport nodded. "Well they broke into the Pentagon last night."

"What?" Mr. Davenport demanded. "The Pentagon is the most secure facility in the world."

"Yeah, with all those sides, it would take me all day just to find the entrance."

"No one knows how they did it, but they got them on a surveillance camera." I took the IPad back from Douglas and showed it to my boss. It was a picture of a girl, maybe sixteen years old, with long soft brown hair. Her eyes were glowing an all too-familiar shade of green. "Look. They're our age. And see those eyes? You know what that means."

"The Irish are attacking?" Adam demanded. Mr. Davenport shook his head.

"No. It's Krane." He informed us. Douglas nodded.

"He upgraded the Triton app, so he could control S-1 with his brain. Now he must be controlling multiple bionic kids."

"Multiple kids?" Chase repeated. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know." Douglas admitted. "But if they busted into the Pentagon, I bet they're looking for classified information."

"Why don't we just go to Krane cell and tell him to stop?" Leo suggested. Douglas looked at him like he was stupid.

"Good idea. Then maybe we could tell him that being evil is bad and he'll give us all a great big hug!" He said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. I crossed my arms.

"It worked for you." I pointed out, coming to Leo's defence. "But there's something that doesn't make sense." I looked at Chase, then at Mr. Davenport. "If he's got bionic kids under his control that can break into the most secure facility on the planet, why wouldn't he get them to break him out of prison?"

"That's probably his next move." Mr. Davenport nodded at me approvingly for my quick thinking. He turned to Adam, Bree, and Chase. "Sometimes true heroes need to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. I'm not asking you guys to come back forever. Just one last mission. Take out Krane's bionic thugs, and you're done."

They all thought about it for a long time. "Fine." Bree said eventually. "But just to be clear, when we're done, we're done.

"Yeah." Chase nodded. "I can do that."

Adam, meanwhile, was staring off into space, laughing at something only he could see. He suddenly realized that everyone was staring at him. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that? I was thinking about growing a moustache."

I laughed, the first time in a while. "Just get suited up."

They nodded and stepped into their capsules. Suddenly, elevator music started playing. Leo and I exchanged looks, confused. "What is that?"

"Oh, I get bored waiting for them to change, so I added hold music." Douglas explain, both he and Mr. Davenport grooving to the music. Old timers.

"Let's go get them!" Adam shouted. He ran for the door as Chase and Bree walked towards us.

"We don't even know where we're going yet!" Chase called after him. He stopped and started walking back towards us.

"Right you are." He agreed. Douglas took the IPad from me and started typing in some codes that I didn't recognize.

"When I created the Triton app, I integrated a tracking outlet. We can use that to locate them." He explained. A second later, he grinned triumphantly. "Aha! There's eight of them. They're at an abandoned junkyard right near Pint's Crest."

"Let's go get them!" Adam shouted again, running for the door. He stopped just before leaving. "Where's Pint Crest?"

"Just get in the 4 wheeler. I'll program the coordinates from here." I told him. They started to leave, but I grabbed Chase's arm.

"It'll be fine." He assured me, already knowing what I was going to say. I nodded.

"I know. Just be careful, okay?" I glanced at Adam and Bree, who were waiting for him. "And watch our for them, alright? I know you guys are fighting, but they're still your brother and sister."

Chase sighed. "Got it. I love you." He kissed me on the nose quickly, flashed me a reassuring smile, then ran after them.

I glanced at Mr. Davenport. "I'll program the coordinates." I told him. He shook his head.

"Leo can do that. I've got a job for you." He pulled me aside, towards the door. "Leo's Christmas/Birthday present, is it done?"

I didn't even bother to ask how he knew about it. "Finished it last night. It's in my room."

"Go get it." He instructed. He glanced sideways to make sure Leo wasn't listening in. "I have a feeling he's going to need it."

"Yes sir." I nodded before running off, my stomach twisting in worry. If Mr. Davenport thought that Leo would need it…then things were much worse than I thought.

Chase's POV

It took us about half an hour to get to Pint's Crest. Bree's superspeed would have been faster, but it would have been more noticeable if we sped into the middle of the junkyard. As it was, we had to climb in over a fence.

"Alright, I know we haven't been the best of friends lately," I hissed to my siblings, "but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to work together."

"Agreed." Bree nodded.

"Which means I'm in charge." I added.

"No you're not!" Adam objected loudly. Bree slapped a hand over his mouth as we hushed him.

"Get down." I hissed, ducking behind a group of battles and plastic boxes. From what I could see, the eight bionic cronies were working with some technology, a couple of them adjusting a satellite dish.

"What are they building?" Bree asked.

"That must be the communications equipment they stole." I replied.

"Maybe they're just trying to get the Sunday football package?" Adam offered unhelpfully. "Aw! I bet they're Jets fans."

I frowned as more cronies entered the scene. There were too many of them. "Wait, there were only eight before. Where did they come from?"

Suddenly, several cronies appeared out of nowhere. They teleported in, just like Krane could. "It's an entire bionic army!" I realized in horror.

"What do we do?" Bree asked me.

"I say we go back to hating each other and take our vacations." Adam decided.

"No!" I snapped. "If we're going to take on that many, we're going to need a better plan. Let's go tell Mr. Davenport and re-strategize."

"Good idea." Adam stood up, knocking over several boxes. Suddenly, dozens of pairs of green, glowing eyes were on us. "Uh…we were just leaving…"

"No! Stay a while, why don't you?" A familiar voice called. The crowd parted and a familiar brown haired boy stepped forward, his once hazel eyes glowing green. We stared in shock.

"Kieran?" Bree gasped. The boy smirked.

"The name is K-9." He replied. He glanced at his fellow cronies. "Get them!"

"Grab on!" Bree didn't wait for us to reply, instead grabbing our arms and speeding us away. Seconds later, we found ourselves skidding to a stop in our driveway, Bree gasping to regain her breath.

"A bionic army…" Adam muttered, looking at us. Bree nodded.

"And Kieran…I mean, what the hell was that about? Why was he there?" She questioned. I shook my head, not able to answer her.

"Come on." I jumped to my feet and ran towards the lab. Mr. Davenport and Douglas were at the consol, Calla and Leo were on their computers, while Jaden watched over his sister's shoulder.

"They're back!" Jaden saw us first, opening his arms just as Bree ran to hug him.

"Mr. Davenport, it's worse than we thought." I announced. "Krane isn't just controlling a few random kids. He has an entire bionic army."

"Girls too." Adam added with a grin. "Some of them were hot."

"A whole army. How is that possible?" Mr. Davenport questioned, as confused as the rest of us.

"When Krane bought my technology, he must have started genetically engineering those kids behind my back." Douglas realized. "Although it does explain the hundreds of baby pictures all over his warehouse."

"Oh, and guess who was there." I added, looking directly at Calla. She frowned.

"Krane? S-1?" She guessed. I crossed my arms and shook my head.

"Kieran." I told her. She blinked, surprise and confusion evident in her eyes.

"What do you mean Kieran was there?" She asked, frowning.

"He means that he's one of Krane's cronies." Bree clarified. Calla looked shocked.

"Did you know about this?" Mr. Davenport questioned. Calla shook her head.

"I…no. No! If I knew that he was bionic, you know I would have told you guys." She assured us. I sighed.

"Alright. We believe you." I agreed. She still looked upset.

"I trusted him. We were friends." She crossed her arms. "This is like Marcus all over again, isn't it?"

"Calla…" I began. She cut me off with a glare.

"Chase Davenport, if you even dare utter the words 'I told you so' I will kill you where you stand." She threatened. I raised my hands in a surrender position, shutting up before it killed me.

"What are we going to do?" Bree asked Mr. Davenport. Suddenly, the screen behind Leo's desk turned on. It showed the president's office, with one more occupant than usual.

"Krane!" Leo exclaimed. The man glared at us from the screen, though Adam clearly misunderstood the situation.

"Good job, Mr. President! You caught Krane!" Adam exclaimed. "Our work here is done."

We walked towards the screen. "Whatever you do, do not negotiate with this man." The president ordered, much to Krane's amusement.

"I don't negotiate." He chuckled. The president tried to run for it, only for Krane to stop him using his telekinesis. "Sit down." He growled.

"How did you escape?" Leo demanded.

"It's amazing what an army of bionic teens can do if they really put their minds together." Krane replied. So Calla was right. It was their next move.

"We're on to you Krane." I told him. "We know you're using your Triton app to control them."

"Oh, I'm not just controlling them." Krane replied. "Now that I've perfected this technology, I can transmit the Triton app to anyone. Allow me to demonstrate."

We all watched in horror as Krane pulled out a black device and held it above the president's head. It glowed green for a few seconds until the president's eyes changed color to the signature green of the Triton app. "Would you look at that. Now the most powerful man in the world is under my control. Ha ha ha!"

"Why are you doing this, Krane?" Mr. Davenport demanded.

"Ordinary humans are inferior, my soldiers have proven that." He replied. "So together, we're going to create a one nation state under bionic rule."

"Well it sounds like someone's been watching too many X-Men movies. Seriously, you've got this whole Magneto complex going on." Calla accused. "But that's your plan, is it? To create a bionic dictatorship?"

"No one in their right mind would ever bow down to you." Bree almost snarled.

"They won't have a choice." Krane declared. "Once my Triton's signal connects with Davenport's satellite, they'll beam an electromagnetic wave over the entire planet. Then, I'll be the most powerful man in the world."

"Good luck. You can't access my satellite without the classified security code." Mr. Davenport challenged. Krane smirked.

"You mean the code that I had K-9 copy from Calla Parker's laptop?" He asked. We all froze.

"Kieran…" Calla muttered, eyes widening. "I trust him. This is my fault."

"No it's not." I assured her, glaring at Krane as he put in the codes. "He tricked you. He tricked all of us."

"Except for you." She murmured. Krane smirked.

"There." He announced. "Now the satellite is orbiting right into the path of my Triton's signal. Don't you just love technology?"

The video cut out then. Calla sunk down into Leo's chair, the rest of us looking at each other. "Krane's army is constructing a satellite dish." I told the others. "That must be how they're going to transmit the signal."

"Okay, we have to shut it down." Adam decided.

"But how?" Bree questioned. "He has too many soldiers."

"We don't have a choice. If Krane succeeds, it'll be the end of the world as we know it." Douglas told us.

"He's right." Mr. Davenport agreed. "But if you're going to fight an entire army, I'm going to have to max out your bionics. Get in your capsules."

We nodded, doing as were told. As he boosted our bionics, he continued to give out orders. "Douglas, go and find our most powerful weapons. Leo-"

"I know. Stay here and modify everything on the commset." Leo interrupted him. To everyone's surprise, Mr. Davenport shook his head.

"Jaden can do that." Said boy nodded and settled himself down at one of the desks. "You're coming with us."

"What?" Leo looked shocked. We stepped out of our capsules, moving to stand beside him. "Is this another one of your 'Let's Use Leo as Bait' plans?"

"No, we need all the help we can get. And after all the hard training you've put in with Calla and Douglas, you've earned the right to fight alongside this family."

"Yes!" Leo screamed, beginning to dance. He ran around the lab, doing cartwheels of joy, screaming the word "Yes."

"Sir?" Calla asked with a small smile. "Can I give him his Christmas/Birthday present now?"

"What present?" Leo asked. Still smiling, Calla pulled an unwrapped box out from under her desk.

"Happy Christmas/Birthday Leo." She teased slightly. Frowning, he opened the box. Although we couldn't yet see it, he gasped and stared at her with wide eyes. Then he slowly pulled a brand new mission suit from the box.

"Calla…" He broke off, unable to find words. She smiled.

"Suit up, Dooley." She instructed. He nodded and ran off, clutching the suit to his chest. She glanced at us.

"He's been asking for one since you guys went on your first mission. I figured it was high time he got one." She explained. Mr. Davenport nodded.

"Calla, as for you-" She cut him off with a glare.

"I'm fighting." She announced. Before he could object, she continued. "Kieran got those codes because I messed up. That's on me. I need to help fix this. And I'm done being afraid of Victor Krane."

Mr. Davenport chuckled. "I figured you'd say something like that. I've got a mission suit ready for you in the back."

Calla looked at him, surprised. "I thought I said…"

"I figured you'd insist on coming with these guys one day. And since Chase is obviously never letting you go, I figured it would be better if you had a suit."

Grinning, Calla ran off to the backroom to find her suit.

Xxx

"Let's do this." Leo declared, stepping out from the hall wearing his brand new mission suit. It was black, like ours, but with a little more padding on the shoulders and knees. He had combat boots, a black jacket with a hood. The major additions to it were the Davenport Industries logo on his chest, and his right jacket sleeve (the one with the bionic arm) was read instead of black.

"Calla really outdid herself this time." I muttered. Mr. Davenport nodded.

"What do you think?" He asked. Leo thought about his answer.

"I think you should donate the rest of my clothes to charity because I am never taking this thing off." He decided.

"I'm glad you like it." Calla's voice came from behind us. We turned around to face her and…wow, just wow.

Her mission suit was completely black, head to toe, with the exception of Davenport logo. She was wearing knee-high boots with an ankle holster on one of them, leather pants, a leather jacket with the Davenport Logo on the right shoulder, a black shirt underneath, and fingerless gloves. It was the perfect combination of deadliness and beauty.

Although, she seemed a little less deadly when she twirled in a circle for me, a nervous smile on her face. "Well?" She asked hesitantly. "How do I look?"

"Badass." I replied, much to her satisfaction. She grinned and kissed me on the cheek.

"Alright, let's do this." She announced, walking to her desk and pulling out both her plasma gun and the Paragun.

"Leo, one more thing." Douglas stopped him. He pressed a few buttons on the computer, the nodded to himself. "There. I just unlocked a new ability for you. Energy transference. Now your bionic hand will be able to absorb the energy from any power source." He gestured at the light next to us. "Give it a shot."

Leo raised his hand towards the light and suddenly, all the power was drained into his hand. When he pulled away, it was like there was a ball of pure energy sitting on his palm. "Oh, I can definitely get used to this."

"Nice Leo." Adam grinned. "Now you can suck all the energy out of things. Like Chase." I sent my brother a glare, but it was too late to argue. It was time to go.

Calla's POV

When we got to the junkyard, armed and dangerous, there was no one to be seen. Kinda a let down that my first mission had no one to see me in this totally awesome outfit.

"And there's nobody here." Chase stated the obvious.

"Maybe they left?" Bree suggested, looking around.

"Where would they go?" Douglas questioned. Adam shrugged.

"Well, the Jets are playing Green Bay." Adam replied. I looked at Adam.

"Yes, because all evil bionic bad guys take time off to watch football." I commented sarcastically. Bree laughed lightly.

"Come on Adam. Let's go make sure they aren't hiding anywhere." She led him off to the far end of the junkyard, the most likely place for the bionic people to be hiding.

"I'll calculate the satellite trajectory to see how much time we have left." Chase offered, focusing his computer brain. While he did so, we made sure our weapons were locked and loaded. Those cronies could be anywhere. "Only eight minutes until Krane's signal connects with that satellite."

Suddenly, a commotion coming from Adam and Bree's direction caught our attention. "Leo, go help Adam and Bree." Mr. Davenport instructed. "We'll take care of the satellite dish."

"Copy that." Leo nodded, running off to help his siblings. Mr. Davenport and Douglas stepped forwards to deal with the dish while Chase and I stayed back to keep an eye out for trouble.

"Hey Calla, Chase. You guys miss me?" We spun around at the sound of Kieran's voice. Chase was right – he was one of them. He stood about ten paces from us, dressed in the same ugly stuff the rest of Krane's cronies were wearing.

"Who would miss you?" Chase countered, activating his plasma bow staff. Kieran wasn't impressed.

"That's cute. Too bad this isn't a piñata party. But let's see what comes out of you when I hit you with this." He raised his hand and his own staff appeared, glowing red and looking more like a tuning fork than a bow staff.

"Okay then." Chase rolled his eyes. "Calla, I've got this."

"Kick his ass, babe." I replied, backing up to give them some room. I was about to turn and help Mr. Davenport and Douglas when I came face to face with that girl from the surveillance camera.

"Going somewhere?" She teased before sending a ball of electricity at my head. I ducked, rolled, and shot back at her. She merely stood there and let the shot go right through her. Although it should have seriously hurt her, it flew right through her stomach, reappearing on the other side without damaging her at all.

"Intangibility!" I hissed to myself. Of course! "Who are you?"

"They call me R-10." She replied before jumping into the air and kicking me in the ribs. I fell to the ground with a groan, but a couple of shots from my plasma gun sent her backwards. Clearly, she couldn't maintain the intangibility for a long period of time and if she wanted to hurt me, she'd have to deactivate it. I could use that in my favour.

"Wait, Kie…I mean, K-9's friend?" I asked. Of course they were both evil. What the hell, man? I thought we were friends!

"Something like that." R-10 replied, charging at me. I rolled over, kicking my legs out at the last minute. Tripping over them, she fell to the ground. Before she could get up, I pushed her down with my foot and held my plasma gun to her head.

"Surrender." I ordered. "I don't want to have to hurt you."

She smirked. She must have activated her intangibility ability because my foot went right through her. She rolled away, then shot a ball of electricity at me. Slightly unprepared for the attack, I leapt behind a few barrels, barely dodging the blast.

From my hiding spot, I could see everyone else's fights still going on. Adam and Bree were working together to take out their enemies, but it was clear that they were outnumbered. Leo was fighting S-1. It was hard to tell who was winning though. And the Davenport brothers were fighting Krane.

"C'mon Parker!" I heard R-10 shout. "Are you hiding like a coward?"

Fuelled by anger and adrenaline, I shot a few blasts over the barrels. I didn't look long enough to see if it hit her, but I knew that I was going to need a better plan than this if I was going to win.

Chase's POV

To my genuine surprise, Kieran was actually good with a bo staff. But I was better. Every time he tried to get a hit in, I deflected it, until I eventually tripped him using my bo staff. He landed on his back on the ground and I swung my bo staff at his head.

Unfortunately, he held my blow back with his own staff, and kicked my feet out from under me. I landed on the ground for a second, but was back on my feet within seconds. After several more attempts to knock me down, I finally had enough of Kieran. I flipped him onto his back, and held my bo staff to his neck.

"Gotta admit." Kieran groaned out. "Didn't see that one coming."

I smirked. "No one messes with my girl and gets away with it."

"Really? Because R-10's about to kill your girl." Kieran nodded to a spot to my right me. Turning my head just enough to keep Kieran in my sights and check on Calla, I could see her fighting some brown haired girl.

I turned back to Kieran, but not before sending a plasma ball towards the bionic soldier. I heard a shout, then another blast, then Calla's voice. "Thanks babe!"

"Help Leo!" I called.

"On it!" Was her reply. I turned back to Kieran with a smirk.

"You were saying?"

Calla's POV

Okay, technically, it was Chase's plasma ball that knocked R-10 to the ground, but it was my Paragun who took her out of the fight, so I was taking credit for that one. Meanwhile, when I finally reached Leo, there was nothing for me to do.

"Give it up, Dooley. Your dinky are isn't going to save you this time." S-1 growled. Leo was on the ground below her, but judging from his facial expression as she whipped out a fireball, he wasn't through.

Just as she was about to finish him, he raised his hand, catching fire ball with his energy transference. "Actually," he stood up shakily, holding her attack back, "I think it is."

"Where did that come from?" S-1 demanded as he drained the power from her attack.

"It came with the threads." He replied, pulling back with the fire in his palm. "S-1, you're S-Done!"

He shot her own attack back at her, sending her flying through the air. We never saw her land. "Yes! Oh yeah!" Leo exclaimed. I laughed.

"Great, you beat her. Now help me with Mr. Davenport and Douglas." I instructed. Spinning around, Leo nodded and together, we ran towards the satellite dish.7

When we got there, Douglas was nowhere to be seen (probably hiding, if I knew him at all) while Mr. Davenport was holding both weapons in his hands and facing Krane. He shot a series of blasts at Krane's chest, and shoulders, knocking the psychopath back several steps. That is, until Krane hit him in the chest with a fire ball. It pushed my boss backwards, knocking both weapons out of his hands.

Leo and I watched in horror as Mr. Davenport charged at Krane, only to receive a very, very bad blow to the chest. It sent him flying.

"Mr. Davenport!" "Big D!" Leo and I shouted, racing after him to make sure he was alright.

Chase's POV

I pushed my way through a crowd of beaten cronies to reach my siblings. "Guys!" I called. "We only have three minutes."

I spun around, kicking one of the bionic soldiers in the chest and knocking him to the ground.

"We'll never get past all them in time!" Bree cried, hitting another guy out of the way.

"Every time we take out five, twenty more show up!" Adam exclaimed, taking out another one. Suddenly, I had an idea.

"Wait. We don't have to take out the army or stop the satellite signal." I began. Adam frowned.

"Then why are we here?" He demanded. I gave him a look.

"If we take out Krane, the Triton App will be disabled and the soldiers will deactivate." I explained.

"But how?" Bree asked me. "Krane is a powerhouse and we're already exhausted. There's no way we're going to beat him in time."

"Yes there is!" Douglas' head poked out from behind a bush. We looked at him, confused as to why he was hiding. "I'm not hiding. I…picking berries to use as weapons." He saw the expressions on our faces. "They could be poisonous."

"You were saying that we had a chance to beat Krane?" I looked at him. He nodded and climbed out of his bush.

"Look, when I created your chips, I installed a link that fuses all of your bionics so you can fight as one." He explained.

"Wait, why didn't you tell us this before?" Bree asked.

"It's never been tested." Douglas replied. "The results could be catastrophic."

I checked my watch and sighed. "We only have two minutes left." I warned the others. I looked at Douglas. "How do we do it?"

My brother and sister looked at me like I was crazy. "Chase, did you not hear him? If we fuse our abilities, we may not make it."

I could see she was afraid and to be honest, I was too. But some things were more important than our fear. "We have no choice. We're the only chance this world has."

"He's right." Adam agreed solemnly.

Bree looked at us, then let out a sigh. She turned to Douglas. "Okay. What do we do?"

"Chase, use your override app on Adam and Bree. Then stand back to back so that your chips form a perfect triangle. The energy will flow from one person to the next until you've built up one massive force." He quickly explained. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to my bush."

"Alright." Bree sighed. "Come on. Let's go."

"Wait." I stopped them. If this was going to be the end, then I had something I had to say. "In case something happens to us, I want you guys to know that I'm really sorry about the way that I acted."

Bree nodded. "Me too."

"Apologies accepted." Adam grinned. We looked at him. "Okay, I'm sorry too."

I smiled. "Alright. Let's do this."

We walked together, side by side towards Krane. He was surrounded by his army in front of the satellite dish, but that didn't stop us.

"Let them through." It was clear that Krane wanted to finish this himself. The crowd of soldiers parted, forming a circle around us. "I think it's time we finished this, don't you?"

We didn't answer. "You could have ruled right alongside us." Krane continued. "But instead you chose to defy me. And for what? To sacrifice yourselves for a world of ungrateful humans that won't even accept you!"

"They may not accept us, but it's our mission to protect them." I replied, keeping my voice steady.

Krane laughed. "Then I guess this is the end of you!" His army rushed forward, but he called them back. "Stand back, soldiers! I want this victory all to myself."

I nodded, then proceeded to activate my override app. I connected to Adam first, then Bree. "Get into position." I ordered. They stepped behind me, forming the perfect triangle Douglas had talked about. The moment we linked arms, I could feel the power surging. A blue circle of light appeared at our feet, spinning fast and rising off the ground with every passing second.

Krane merely laughed. "Silly children. You're no match for me."

He threw his arms out, fire balls appearing in his hands. But our power was growing, and it wouldn't stop. I could feel the power draining from us, sharp pains hitting me in the head and chest. Judging by the stifled groans coming from Adam and Bree, I wasn't the only one feeling the effects.

Krane was also trying to build in power, the fires in his hands growing larger and hotter. But it wasn't going to be enough. We couldn't let him beat us. We had too much at risk. If we failed, we failed everyone. Calla, Leo, Mr. Davenport, Tasha, Douglas, Perry, Jaden…everyone we ever cared about. If we failed, we would have failed the world.

The energy was growing, but so was the now constant pain we were in. It was like being struck by lightning, it was that powerful. "The signal transmits…in ten seconds!" I gasped through the pain.

"Our day has come!" Krane cheered, clearly thinking that he had won. But it was too late for him.

"Five seconds!" I groaned. "Four. Three. NOW!"

We released the energy, letting it go as it blasted Krane into the air. The pain disappeared with him, but before any of us could celebrate, a wave of dizziness washed over me and my siblings. Lightheaded, I collapsed, hardly noticing the two thuds of my brother and sister hitting the ground. It was over…

I opened my eyes lazily as my mind cleared once more and slowly sat up. "It worked." Bree breathed, pushing some hair back from her face as the soldiers around us collapsed. "The Triton App is deactivating."

"Are you guys okay?" I asked, forcing myself to my feet. They nodded silently as Douglas ran over to meet us.

"Yes. You did it!" He cheered.

"Guys, I don't want this to be our final mission." Adam declared. I couldn't help but smile.

"Then it looks like we're a team again." Bree announced. Adam smiled too.

"No, I mean, I want to do one more, but then that's it." He joked. I chuckled, about to comment on one of the moves he did when we were fighting the soldiers, but our victory was short-lived though.

"Guys!" Leo's distressed shout came from the back end of the junkyard. "Get over here, quick!"

We ran towards the sound to see him and Calla kneeling above Mr. Davenport. A very pale, very unresponsive Mr. Davenport.

"I don't think he's breathing." Leo explained quickly. I knelt down, gently pushing Calla away and checked for a pulse. To my relief, I found one. It was weak, but it was still there.

"We have to get him to a hospital." Douglas decided. Calla nodded.

"I already called the ER, but Bree, you're going to have to superspeed him." She instructed. Bree didn't answer, didn't move. She just stared at our father-figure, eyes wide with distress and fear. "Bree!"

She started. "I…S-Sorry, what?"

Calla sighed. "You need to superspeed him to the nearest hospital. Can you do that?" Her voice was gentle enough to coax Bree out of her shock. Bree nodded and knelt down, allowing me to drape Mr. Davenport's arm around her shoulder. They were gone a second later.

"Is he going to be alright?" Adam looked at me hopefully, pleadingly. I had no answer for him.

Xxx

Almost 9 hours later, we were still waiting for some information on Mr. Davenport. We'd taken the 4-wheeler to the hospital, Douglas driving, and Tasha and Jaden had both met us there. Bree had run into her boyfriend's arms immediately upon seeing him, tears running down her face. Adam was eerily silent, Leo was pacing the halls, while I just sat in one of the chairs, hardly noticing Calla's arms around me.

Eventually, after getting a full explanation from Calla and Douglas, Tasha had sent us all home with orders to eat something and to get some sleep. None of us could even think of doing either of those things, so we pretty much sat in the lab in silence while Calla, Douglas and Jaden took care of everything, like explaining the situation to the president and dealing with the bionic soldiers. They didn't consult us about anything, but I think that was more because they knew we needed to be alone rather than them trying to ignore us. And I was grateful for it, I really was.

Suddenly, Leo's phone went off. "Mom?" He answered, stepping away from us to take the call. "How's Big D?"

Calla sat down next to me on the coffee table and took my hand silently while Jaden took Bree's seat, pulling her into his lap without a word.

"Poor Donny." Douglas muttered, the first thing he'd said in a while. "This is all my fault. I should have protected him."

"Don't blame yourself, Douglas. Blame Chase." It was Adam's weak attempt at a joke. I sent him a glare.

"It's no one's fault." I told him. He smirked.

"That's what people say when it is their fault." He teased.

"Adam." Calla stopped him with a shake of her head. "It's no one's fault but Krane's. It's as simple as that."

"Hey." Leo drew attention back to him. We all stood up, praying for good news.

"How is he?" Bree asked.

"Not good." Leo admitted. "He's out of surgery, but it's still touch and go."

I sighed. "Then I guess all we can do is wait."


	33. Bionic House Party

Chase's POV

It had been just over twelve hours since Mr. Davenport had been admitted to the hospital and we were all hanging around the house for news. Well, most of us were. Adam had left earlier to go pick up some groceries since there was no food left in the house and Tasha was obviously pre-occupied. Bree was taking selfies, I was working on the IPad, and Calla was making some adjustments on one of her older, incomplete projects that she liked to call MISS. She wouldn't tell me what it was, only that it 'might solve our Eddy problem once and for all'. Not entirely sure what she meant, I decided to leave it be.

"Good news guys!" Leo was grinning when he entered the lab. "Mom just called from the hospital to say that Big D was doing much better. He's going to make it!"

We all grinned at the wonderful news. "Awesome." "Great." Bree and I sighed in relief.

"Yep." Leo smiled. "Soon he'll be back here making us all wish he was still unconscious."

Bree rolled her eyes. "Hey, I really miss him." She told him. "Although, it has been nice having the hairspray all to myself."

"Actually, Adam's been using it too." I pointed out. "He's developing new styles for his arm pits."

"Gross." Calla wrinkled her nose in disgust, looking up from her laptop. I shrugged.

"You wouldn't think it, but the ponytails are surprisingly cute." I replied, earning a small laugh from the girl.

"You know," Bree smirked deviously, "we should have traded in Adam for one of Krane's bionic soldiers when we had a chance."

She and Leo laughed at that, but I stopped. Oh, crap! "Oh no. The soldiers!" I muttered. "I was so worried about Mr. Davenport, I completely forgot about them."

"Relax. I'm sure their fine." Calla assured me. Leo nodded.

"Yeah. Now that the Triton App is deactivated, they're just normal teenagers." His eyes popped as he realized what he was saying. "Normal teenagers roaming the streets with deadly bionic abilities. We need to find them."

We nodded and started towards the elevator, only to be stopped by Adam. "Find who?" He asked.

"Krane's soldiers." Bree replied. He nodded.

"I think I can help with that." He offered. Without saying anything else, he led us upstairs. There were at least thirty of Krane's soldiers on the main floor, all chatting and talking with each other. "They're right here!"

Our eyes widened as we stared at the scene, our mouths gaping. "YOU INVITED THIRTY BIONIC SOLDIERS INTO OUR HOME?!" I demanded.

"No, I invited R-10 into our home. The other twenty-nine were hiding in the bushes and followed us home." Adam defended himself. Calla stared at him.

"Why in the name of sanity would you invite her?" She questioned. Adam got a goofy grin on his face.

"She's pretty." He replied, glancing over his shoulder in the direction of the girl. Then he backed up to a group of bionic soldiers a started introducing them.

"This is K-15, E-14, C-13, Z-12, E-11, and…" he stopped at a girl with long, soft brown hair and smiled charmingly. "What's your name again?" he asked, a teasing note to his voice. She smiled.

"R-10." She replied before turning to us. "Hello."

Calla stepped back, her hand reaching towards her back pocket, where her plasma gun was. I grabbed her hand with mine, preventing her from starting a fight. Suddenly, I heard a voice from behind us.

"Hey guys." Spinning around, I pushed Calla behind me as I glared daggers at Kieran. He frowned, noticing that I was not the only one glaring at him. "What's wrong?"

"You tried to kill me!" I accused. He looked confused.

"Why would I do that?" He asked. "You're my friend."

"You're not his, nor are you mine." Calla growled. He looked hurt, but she ignored it. "Not only did you steal information from my laptop, but you also used your electro-fork-thingy on him."

"Friends don't electro-fork-thingy friends." I added.

Kieran looked momentarily stunned. "I…I don't remember that. But if I hurt you, Chase, I'm sorry. And I'm sorry I went through your laptop Calla."

"Whoa, dude." Adam stopped him. "Never apologize for hurting Chase."

"Whoa, what do you remember?" Bree asked. Kieran hesitated.

"I remember that everything I ever thought about myself, that I'm human, that I have actual parents, that's all a lie." He murmured and I felt a pang of sympathy for the boy. Only for a moment though. He cleared his throat and continued. "My real name is K-9, these are my brothers and sisters, I'm bionic, and for some reason, I'm the only one here who doesn't think Adam's a genius."

"Well they obviously don't remember what the word 'genius' means." Bree commented. Calla crossed her arms.

"What about R-10? You remembered her before." She pointed out. Kieran, or K-9, nodded.

"Remember that joke you made about me having an evil twin that was trying to take over the world?" He asked jokingly. Calla frowned and nodded.

"Yeah." She said slowly. Kieran nodded.

"We were both created using some of the same genetic material. Most of it is the same, actually. Only a few minor changes to make her a girl." He explained."And since we were created at pretty much the same time, using almost identical genetic make-up…"

"That technically makes you two twins." Calla finished. Kieran nodded. Bree looked at Calla and I.

"They don't remember anything." She whispered. "It's like their bionic blank slates."

"Can we keep them? Most of them are potty-trained, though O-27 is still a work in progress." Adam said hopefully. Calla gave him a look.

"No, you can't keep them!" She exclaimed. Kieran flinched at her words, but watched us quietly.

"Calla's right. Just twenty-four hours ago, they were trying to destroy us." I reminded him.

"And Mr. Davenport would freak out if he came home to thirty bionic soldiers." Bree added.

"Alright." Adam nodded. "L-30, take a hike. Numbers 1 through 29, welcome home."

We all gave him harsh looks. "Forget Big D. It's my mom I'm worried about." Leo snapped. "She's still not sold on you three living here. But you didn't hear that from me."

We rolled our eyes. "Adam." Calla sent him a look and he sighed.

"Fine. I'll get rid of them." He submitted. He looked at Kieran. "Come on dude. I'll help you pack your stuff."

"We don't have any stuff." Kieran replied. Adam gave us a pleading look, then turned back to Kieran.

"Don't worry, I've got you covered."

Before long, Adam was passing out shirts and jackets to the bionic soldiers. My shirts and jackets, to be exact. "I hope you're all a boys small." Adam told the group as they tried on the clothing. Glaring at him, I raced to retrieve my clothing before they left.

Leo's POV

"So, the soldiers are gone?" I spoke into my phone as I waited for the lady at the cashier to finish ringing up the things I'd chosen from the hospital gift shop.

"Yep. Along with about ten of Chase's shirts." I heard a light laugh on Calla's end. "Boy Wonder's not happy about that."

I chuckled, taking the flowers and balloon from the cashier with a smile. "No, I didn't think so. Anyway, I've got to go."

"Alright. Tell Mr. Davenport we all said to get better soon." There was a click as Calla hung up and I walked towards Big D's hospital room.

"Leo?!" Mom seemed shocked when I opened the door, but I didn't pay too much attention to that. "What are you doing here?"

I stared at her. "It's time for my 12:30 sponge bath, what do you think I'm doing here?" The smile fell from my face when I caught sight of Big D. He was still unconscious, his skin very pale. There were so many wires and devices hooked up to him. He did not look any better. In fact, he seemed worse, if that was at all possible.

"…What's going on?" I demanded. "You said he was doing better. He doesn't look better."

Mom hesitated before forcing a fake smile onto her face. "Of course he's better." She lied through her teeth. "Look at him! Pale, lifeless, surrounded by technology…that's the man I married."

"Mom." I didn't have to say much more. She sighed, the false smile fading.

"I'm sorry honey. I just didn't want you guys to worry." She apologized. "They're doing everything they can."

Suddenly, Big D's head lifted a bit and he looked at me with glassy eyes. "Hey…" He slurred. I dumped my stuff onto the nearest table and ran over to him.

"Big D!" I exclaimed, glad to see him at least somewhat coherent. However, when I reached his bedside, he reached up and started caressing my face.

"Tasha…you look so beautiful…" He trailed off, still grabbing at my face. "Pretty, pretty, pretty…"

I glanced back at my mom, who shrugged helplessly. "Just go with it honey, he's juiced to the gills."

I nodded, but removed his hand from my face, settling with patting it gently.

Chase's POV

An hour after we sent him to ditch the bionic army, Adam returned to the lab, gasping for breath as if he'd just run a marathon.

"Hey." Bree was the first to notice him. "Did you get rid of them?"

"Yeah." Adam nodded. "But those guys are tough to shake. I had to run through the mall, hop a fence, run back through the mall, snag a churro, and go under a bridge. But I think I finally lost-"

About thirty bionic soldiers geo-leaped into the lab at that moment, R-10, Kieran, and a boy called S-3 at the front of the group. "Great! Now I have to do it again." Adam complained, before turning to us. "Can you spot me for their churros?"

"Why do they keep following you?" Bree questioned. I sighed, knowing the answer.

"They're solders." I explained. "They must have a natural tendency to follow their leader, but with Krane gone, they didn't have one until Adam showed up."

Adam, Bree, and Calla turned to look at me, all with different expressions on their faces. A bright grin on Adam's face, a frown on Bree's, and a horrified grimace on Calla's. "What does that mean?" Bree asked.

"They think Adam's their new leader." I stated the terrifying face.

"Great!" Bree exclaimed sarcastically. "Now they're more dangerous than they were under Krane."

I nodded. "Yeah." I agreed just as the alarm for the White House went off. We all looked at each other, wide-eyed. Worst timing ever.

"It's the president." Calla looked at Adam. "Take them upstairs. We'll deal with them later."

Adam nodded and turned to the soldiers. "To the elevator!"

All at once, they all turned around and called out, "To the elevator!"

I looked at my sister. "Do you think you can keep them out of trouble?" I asked. She shrugged.

"I'll try." She ran after Adam and the rest of the soldiers, leaving me and Calla to take the president's call.

"Hello Mr. President." I greeted, answering the video call.

"Chase, we have a problem." He stated.

"Sir, if this is about what Adam did in the Lincoln bedroom…" I began, but stopped when he shook his head.

"No." He assured me. "I sent agents to retrieve Krane's army, and they're gone."

Calla nodded. "Not to worry sir, we know exactly-"

"Mr. President sir," I cut her off before she could finish, "when the agents do find Krane's soldiers, what's going to happen to them?"

I don't know why I even asked that. It wasn't that I actually cared for them. Well, maybe I did, but only because they were exactly like us. Bionic teenagers whose abilities, if used properly, could be used to help people.

"They're bionic criminals." The president replied. "So they'll be separated and placed in high security isolation cells."

"Why?" I demanded. "Krane was controlling them, forcing them to commit those crimes. They didn't have a choice."

"That may be, but they're still bionic." The president replied. "Which makes them dangerous."

"Well, that's what people thought about us." I pointed out.

"But you three have proven yourselves." He argued. "All we've seen from these individuals is evil. Find them."

Calla nodded. "Yes sir." She hung up the phone, then looked at me. "Now what?"

"We can't just hand them over to the government or they're going to lock them up." I told her. She hesitated.

"Is that really that bad of an idea?" She asked softly. I looked at her, stunned, but she continued before I could say anything. "Look, I get that it wasn't their fault, and I get that you want to help them, but they are dangerous."

"So are we, if you think about it." I pointed out. She crossed her arms.

"Okay, so what are we supposed to do? We can't keep them here – A, there's no room, and B, we'd be harbouring fugitives." She reminded me. I looked at her.

"Why don't you want to help them?" I asked, confused. Suddenly, it hit me. "It's not…because of Kieran, is it?"

"He fooled us for so long, how do we know that they're not fooling us now?" She questioned. "I don't trust them."

"You don't trust Kieran." I corrected.

"K-9. He lied about his name too, remember?" She muttered. I sighed.

"This is the right thing to do. You know that, don't you?" I asked.

"Chase…" She began. I cut her off with a shake of my head.

"Hey, I'm not asking you to trust them." I told her. "I'm asking you to trust me. Can you do that for me?"

She looked at me for a long moment before sighing. "I trust you." She told me. She began to head towards the elevator, but stopped at the door. She turned back to me with a half-hearted glared. "But if you get me killed, I'm going to come back and haunt you, mister."

I chuckled, caught up to her, and took her hand. "Deal." I agreed, kissing her lightly on the nose.

Leo's POV

I spent a good couple of hours at the hospital, just talking to Big D. I don't know whether it was because I was worried about them, or because I didn't want to deal with the bionic army at home (Calla had texted me again, telling me how Adam was now in charge of the army) or a combination of the two, but I didn't feel like leaving any time soon.

"And then Adam, Bree, and Chase sent Krane flying into the sky." I continued my story. "He looked like a big, bald, evil bird. Oh! And I used my energy transference to finish off S-1!" I looked down at his peaceful face. "I've got to say, I'm sorry you're hurt, but this is the most you've talked without interrupting me."

All of a sudden, Big D started to twitch slightly, the beeping from the machines slowly becoming louder and more insistent. "Mom?" I called uncertainly as Big D's face changed from peaceful to pained. "What's happening?"

She got up from her seat, a concerned look on her face. "I don't know." She was already heading for the door. "Stay with him. I'll get the doctor."

Big D was shaking now, his body twitching uncontrollably. "Somebody help!" I shouted just as he took a gasp of air. The machines suddenly stopped beeping and my heart stopped. "No…no, no, no, NO!" I shouted at the machine, praying for it to start beeping again.

I looked down at Big D, his body still and did the only thing I could think of. I had to do it, no matter what the consequences were. "Okay, that's it. If this doesn't work, I'm really sorry." Using my energy transference, I pulled a good part of my energy from me and pushed it into his chest. The lights in the room flickered, but I didn't care as I watched his back arch involuntarily and his lungs take in a desperate gasp. When I removed my hand, he fell still once more. "Please work." I breathed, black spots swimming around my vision.

"WHOA!" Big D shot straight up, breathing heavy. "I feel great."

"Good." I murmured woozily as I felt my legs begin to buckle. "Because I don't."

I hit the ground hard, much to Big D's confusion. I couldn't really focus on that though, with my mind going all fuzzy all of a sudden. "Leo, don't just lie there, twitching. Give me a hug…" Was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.

Xxx

"…Leo…LEO!" My eyes snapped open at the sound of my mom's voice. She was standing above me, a concerned look on her face. From my spot on the ground, I could see Big D sitting up in his hospital bed. "Honey, are you alright?"

I nodded, sitting up slowly. My head was still spinning a bit, but not as bad as before. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

She helped me into a chair by Big D's bed. "What happened?"

Knowing that my mom would completely freak out if I told her the truth, my mind raced for a believable lie. "Maybe skipping both breakfast and dinner last night wasn't my best idea?" I offered, hoping she would believe it.

"Leo, I told you guys to have something to eat when you got home." She scolded. I nodded.

"I know, but we were a little too worried to eat. Adam, Bree, and Chase had breakfast though. The only reason I didn't was because I was coming over here." I lied. She sighed.

"This is why you don't skip meals, sweetie." She told me. I nodded, trying my best to look guilty. "Are you okay?" She asked again, just to be sure.

Before I could answer, Big D did. "Better than ever!" He grinned. We both looked at him.

"I was talking to Leo." She told him.

"Oh, well let me know when you get back to me." He replied, still grinning. I glanced up at my mom.

"I'm okay." I assured her. She nodded.

"Alright, but I'm going to grab you something to eat from the cafeteria." She told me before looking at Big D. "Besides, I have to call the donor bank back. I kinda promised them your gallbladder."

"You what?" Big D stared at her.

"Well, they were just so nice on the phone." She said apologetically, leaving with her phone in her hands.

I sighed, rubbing my head a bit. I had a massive headache. Big D didn't seem to notice though. "Look at me!" He was beaming. "You know, I thought I was Daven-done, but then fate stepped in and realized how incredibly valuable I am to the world."

I just stared at him. "Yes. What other logical explanation could there be?"

Big D ignored me, swinging his legs off the side of the bed. "I didn't think it was possible, but I actually feel younger." He started kicking his legs. "Look at these little kickers."

I rolled my eyes and sat down on his bed. "Look, fate didn't save you." I told him. "I did."

He merely laughed. "Leo, I've seen your grades. You're no doctor."

Deciding not to take offense to that, I continued. "I'm serious. I used my energy transference ability to transfer some of my energy into you."

He looked at me as if I was crazy. "You what? Leo, the human body was not meant to be tapped as an energy source!" He scolded.

"Well it's not meant to be bleached, plucked, or tucked either, but that hasn't stopped you." I countered. He gave me a look.

"By giving me energy, you depleted your own. There could be serious side-effects." He actually sounded worried. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't worry; I'm fine." I assured him. He nodded.

"Good. Because you could never make the recovery I just made." He jumped to his feet and began to dance, completely unaware that his hospital gown did not have a back to it. "I feel like a new me!"

"Maybe you should close up a little bit, because I'm seeing too much of the old you." I complained, trying to look anywhere else.

"Sorry." He apologized, quickly covering that horror.

Chase's POV

"Chase!" I looked up at the sound of Bree's very angry voice. She stalked towards Calla and I, carrying something pink in her hand. "Have you figured out what to do with the kids yet?"

"So far, all we've come up with is 'turn them over to the government'." Calla replied, frowning at the object in Bree's hand.

"Okay. Well you guys had better figure out something, because they just used my prom dress for target practice!" She held up the still smoking dress. "How did we get into this mess?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Calla asked, gesturing behind us. Looking in that direction, we could see Adam getting fed grapes telekinetically by one of the bionic soldiers.

"Don't look at me, guys. I didn't ask to be king." He smiled, clearly enjoying it.

"Adam, quit messing around." I told him. "We have to find a safe place to hide them all before the president finds out they're here."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. We all turned towards it, but only S-3 actually headed to answer it. "Wait, we don't know who it is." Calla cautioned. He nodded.

"I know. That's why I'm going to open the door." He replied, leaving Calla unable to argue that point. He opened the door to reveal ten people outside. "Hey, it's more of our bionic brothers and sisters!"

We looked at him. "Wait, there's more of you?" Bree questioned. S-3 nodded.

"Tons more. I'll send them all a signal to tell them all to come to our new home."

"No! No signal, no new home!" We objected. S-3 stopped, looking at us. Bree sighed.

"Great. Now there are forty bionic soldiers in our house. What are we going to do?" She demanded, looking at Calla and I.

"There's only one thing we can do." Adam decided.

Xxx

"BIONC HOUSE PARTY!" Adam shouted at the top of his lungs, cheers erupting from the bionic soldiers in the house. I glared at them, my fingers in my ears. We needed to get rid of them, and we needed to get rid of them fast.

Leo's POV

"Hey Big D." I greeted as my mom and I walked into his hospital room. He was dressed in normal clothes again, the hospital gown folded neatly on the bed.

"Donald, we've got your discharge papers." My mom told him. He smiled.

"Yep, you're free to go." I told him before adding, "And by the way, you are WAY older than you claim to be."

Big D rolled his eyes, but my mom frowned. She reached up and pulled a bit of the hair from my head. "Honey, is that a grey hair?"

"Could be. I thought it was obvious but you too really stress me out." I went to leave, but the second I turned around, I heard two loud gasps. I froze, confused and a little concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Your whole head is turning grey!" I turned to face her, my hand automatically reached for the back of my head.

"Oh no. That must be a side-effect of his energy transference ability!" Big D realized. My mom turned on him, one eyebrow raised questioningly.

"His what?" She demanded. He sighed.

"The doctors didn't save me, Leo did." He admitted. She looked at me and I smiled guiltily. "He transferred some of his energy into me. That must have sped up his aging process!"

My mom punched him in the chest. "Donald! How could you let him do that?"

"I was unconscious!" He objected. My mom sighed and looked at me, worry evident in her eyes. "Look, if I could give it back, I would. But it doesn't work that way. He must be aging years by the hour. I have to find a solution to this fast or…"

"Or what?" I demanded when he broke off. He sighed.

"Or Tasha may have found that gallbladder she's been looking for." He told me. I stared at him, starting to freak out a bit.

Chase's POV

The party had been going on for four hours now and we still hadn't been able to get them to settle down. Nor had we figured out a place to hide them.

"Is there any way we could reactivate the Triton App?" Bree suggested. "One of them just drank the pool!"

Not only that, but it seemed like we had more than forty soldiers in our house. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw S-3 talking to some of the soldiers.

"Hey, welcome home." He greeted, shaking their hands. "I see you got my signal."

"Hey, S-3." I called. "Could you do me a favour? STOP SENDING SIGNALS!"

"Oh, and while you're at it," Calla walked over, an annoyed look on her face, "keep K-9 away from me. He still hasn't figured out that I want NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM!" She shouted that last bit over her shoulder.

Adam walked over, and looked at S-3. "Hey dude. What's the best way to have fun?"

"Do the opposite of what Calla and Chase say." He replied. Adam smirked a bit.

"I've taught you well, grasshopper." They bowed at each other before going off to enjoy the party a bit more. This included doing the limbo using Kieran's laser-fork-thing, passing food around telekinetically, playing hide-and-seek using their geo-leaping. I just glared at them the entire time.

Suddenly, the door opened and Tasha and Mr. Davenport walked in. "Hey!" Tasha shouted. The music stopped and people stopped cheering, leaving the room eerily quiet.

Adam wasn't bothered by the silence though. "Hey Tasha."

The bionic soldiers followed his example. "Hey Tasha!" They called.

Calla, Bree, and I looked at each other. "Mr. Davenport!" Bree exclaimed, a smile on her face. "You're not dead! Yay."

He stormed over to us. "What is going on? Why is the bionic army that tried to kill us in our house?!"

"We had no choice." Bree defended them. "The government wants to lock them up!"

"So?" Like Calla, Mr. Davenport seemed pleased by the idea.

Before we could answer, there was a loud knocking on the door. "Oh goodie." I said, sarcasm dripping from my tone. "More people!"

Tasha gave me a look, then opened the door. Instead of bionic soldiers though, there was a squad of government agents.

"I'm Agent Reed." The woman at the front introduced herself. "The president sent us to assist in the search for the criminals." She looked around. "But it looks like you've already found them. Good work. We'll take it from here."

"Mr. Davenport, this is not their fault!" Bree pleaded with our father. "They were being controlled by the Triton app."

"Yeah, they're just like us." I agreed, remembering how we had been under the Triton App's control once. We had tried to kill the people we cared about most, yet we'd been forgiven for it. Didn't they deserve a second chance?

"He's right." Adam agreed with me. "We should all be arrested."

Mr. Davenport sighed and turned to Agent Reed. "Is this necessary?" He asked, trying to help. "I mean, what law have they actually broken?"

"Theft of government property, breaking and entering into the White House, and launching a bionic war against humanity." Agent Reed didn't miss a beat, her face clear of any and all emotion.

"Oh yeah." Mr. Davenport nodded to himself. "But that sounds like a slap on the wrist kind of thing to me."

Agent Reed didn't agree. "Cuff them." She ordered. Her agents started towards the soldiers.

"Go!" S-3 shouted and all the bionic soldiers disappeared, geo-leaping away.

"What just happened?" Agent Reed demanded, staring at the spot where the bionic soldiers had just been.

"They geo-leaped away." Mr. Davenport couldn't keep the smile out of his voice. They looked at him for an explanation. "Essentially, they can manipulate their-"

"Short answer." The agent growled.

"Basically, they're gone." Calla supplied. Agent Reed groaned in annoyance.

"Find them!" She ordered, leading her agents out of our house. Suddenly, Leo stumbled in, looking nothing like his self. His usually black hair had gone grey, his face was all wrinkly, and he was wearing glasses and using a cane to walk. We stared at him, confused.

"My knee's acting up." He said before any of us could find the words. "Must be rain. Either that or I'm starting to fall."

On queue, Leo's swayed to one side, Mr. Davenport catching him before he could hit the ground.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

"Help me get him down to the lab. I'll explain on the way." Mr. Davenport said as Calla wrapped one of Leo's arms around her shoulder. I took his other side and together we led him down to the lab while Mr. Davenport filled us in on what happened at the hospital.

Calla and I sat Leo down in one of the lab chairs as soon as we got down there and Mr. Davenport rushed to create an antidote. He glanced at my girlfriend. "I want you tracking those bionic soldiers. Now."

"Yes sir." She sat down at her computer, typing quickly as she activated every tracking program she had access to.

Several minutes later, Mr. Davenport finished with the serum. "Serum's ready." He ran over to Leo. "Try this."

Leo took a drink of the serum, and looked at Mr. Davenport. Our father waited a second before speaking. "Do you feel any different?"

"No, but you're the ugliest nurse I've ever seen." Leo replied. Mr. Davenport sighed and looked at Calla.

"Any sign of them?" He demanded. She shook her head.

"I've got nothing. They could be anywhere." She muttered. She looked worriedly at Leo. "Tell me you have more ideas on how to help him."

"None of my anti-aging formulas are working." Mr. Davenport replied, shaking his head. Adam grinned.

"Well obviously. Just look at yourself." He joked just as the presidential alarm went off.

"Mr. President." Mr. Davenport greeted, answering the call. The man on the screen smiled.

"Davenport, it's nice to see you up and around." He said. "Where are those bionic soldiers?"

"I honestly have no idea, sir." Mr. Davenport replied just as they all geo-leaped back into the lab. Worst timing ever. "Way to make me look good, guys!" Mr. Davenport called, knowing that we were busted.

"I'm sending my agents to collect them." The president told him. "You're responsible until they get there."

"Mr. President, these kids are harmless." Mr. Davenport tried to defend them.

"We don't have proof of that." The president argued. Suddenly, there was a thud behind us. We turned around to see Leo lying n the ground, eyes closed.

"Leo!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed. Calla and I knelt down, helping him roll my stepbrother onto his back.

"Big D…" Leo murmured. Mr. Davenport leaned closer to hear him better. "It should have been you."

"What's going on?" Adam demanded, looking down at Leo. Mr. Davenport sighed, a helpless look on his face.

"His time's running out." He murmured. Suddenly, Calla, Mr. Davenport, and I were pushed back by the soldiers. S-3, R-10, Kieran, and three others stepped forward, hands glowing red.

"What are you doing?" Calla demanded. I glared at them, but I couldn't get past them.

"Get away from him!" I shouted protectively. The soldiers ignored us, kneeling down and holding their glowing hands above Leo's chest. I realized with a start that they were using their energy transference ability. They were trying to save him.

"Davenport?" The president called. "What are they doing?"

Mr. Davenport looked up. "They're saving my son's life."

After a few long, long moments, the soldiers stepped back. For a moment, I didn't think it worked. For a moment, I thought Leo was really gone. Then…

"WHOA!" He sat up suddenly, getting to his feet right away. I let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding, relief flooding over me. "I'M ALIVE!"

We all laughed a bit, more relieved than amused. Bree turned to S-3, confused. "Wait, what just happened?"

"We transferred some of the energy from our bodies into his." He explained. Calla frowned.

"But won't that make you all age faster too?" She asked. Kieran shook his head.

"If it was just one of us, yes. But…" He looked at R-10.

"Since we worked together, the affect is minimal." She finished. Adam grinned at the girl.

"That was awesome. It's like you brought him back to life." His face lit up with an idea. "Nobody move! I'm going to go dig up my goldfish!"

He ran off grinning, R-10 laughing a bit at his enthusiasm. Leo looked around at everyone.

"I can't believe you guys saved me. I can never repay you." His voice was full of gratitude. He glanced at Mr. Davenport. "But he can. Pony up Big D."

Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes and walked towards the screen where the president was still visible. "Mr. President, I think this is all the proof you need."

The president sighed. "That was admirable." He admitted. "But I can't let these bionic kids roam free. I'm sending a transport to pick them up."

"But sir, they're not-" I tried to object, only for Kieran to cut me off.

"It's okay." He assured me. "You helped us as much as you can. It's time for us to go."

"K-9's right." S-3 agreed. "We won't run this time."

Mr. Davenport sighed. "Alright, why don't you guys go upstairs? I have some things to do down here."

Calla looked at him. "Sir, can't you do something? I mean they've obviously proven that they can be trusted."

Although I was glad to hear that she finally trusted them again, it was too late.

"I'm sorry guys. I really am. Now go." Mr. Davenport replied. We all started to leave, but Mr. Davenport stopped my girlfriend. "Actually, I need your help down here."

I frowned and looked at Calla in confusion, but she just waved me off. "I'll be up later." She assured me. I nodded and led the soldiers upstairs to wait.

Xxx

By the time that Adam returned, agents were already handcuffing some of the soldiers. "Guys, look!" He grinned. "I finally found where I put my goldfish."

He held up a glass jar, the bottom half of it full of dirt. "Okay people, do your magic."

"Stop!" "Wait!" Calla and Mr. Davenport burst upstairs, the latter immediately going to Agent Reed. Calla ran over to me, grabbing my hand and flashing a smile at Kieran and S-3.

"What's going on?" I whispered. She shook her head.

"Shh." She shushed me, nodding at Mr. Davenport.

"Nobody's going anywhere." He announced. Tasha looked him.

"Donald, if you try to take on a team of federal agents again, I'm going to put you back in the hospital myself."

Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes. "No. I have a solution." He gestured at the soldiers. "These kids have proven that they can save lives and change the world. We already know what Adam, Bree, and Chase can do with their bionics. Just think what a hundred bionic kids can do."

"Don't make me think!" Adam complained. "Just tell me!"

"With proper training and supervision, they could go on multiple missions, save thousands of lives." He looked back at Agent Reed. "And the president is already on board. We just got off the phone with him."

"Hold on." Agent Reed told him. "I didn't get anything about a change in…" her phone let out a sound and she read the message that was on it, "Oh. Okay, you're good."

The few kids that had already been handcuffed were released and the agents left the house. "Mr. Davenport, this all sounds great, but…how are you supposed to train hundreds of bionic kids."

He smirked. "I'm not. We are. Since you're the first of your kind, you'll be their mentors."

We all exchanged excited looks. We were actually going to be teaching them how to save lives? I couldn't think of a better job. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. You'll train them, socialize them and introduce them to the world." Mr. Davenport nodded. "Just like Calla and Leo did with you."

"Only we'll do a good job." Adam added. They both looked at us.

"Excuse me?" Leo questioned. Bree gave her a look.

"Oh, don't look surprised! You guys found us four friends in three years." Bree pointed out. Calla gave her a look.

"You're dating the star quarterback." She pointed out. "How did I do a bad job?"\

"You did great." I assured her, kissing her softly on the cheek. She rolled her eyes, but squeezed my hand a little.

"So where's all this training going to take place?" Tasha asked, clearly not wanting to have a hundred bionic teenagers in her house.

"At the world's first Davenport Bionic Academy!" Mr. Davenport announced.

Xxx

That night, while all the bionic soldiers were sleeping on the various couches, chairs and beds in the house, Mr. Davenport showed us (me, my siblings, Calla, S-3, Kieran, and R-10) the designs for the Bionic Academy. Apparently, the entire time that he and Calla were downstairs in the lab, they'd been going over the schematics and designing the perfect space for us. Since the academy wouldn't be done being built for a few days, the former soldiers were staying either here, or at Calla's.

"Behold the world's first ever Bionic Academy!" Mr. Davenport turned on the lab's monitor to reveal what looked like a very, very large metal platform in the middle of the ocean.

"Wow Mr. Davenport. That place looks amazing." R-10 smiled at the sight of it. He nodded.

"Yeah, it's a man-made island." He explained, showing us a few more of the schematics. "Here's the combat training area, and the capsule dormitory, and the Hydroloop."

"What's a Hydroloop?" S-3 asked curiously. I laughed at his joke.

"This guy!" I chuckled. "'What's a Hydroloop?'!"

Calla sighed. "I swear, he really doesn't mean to sound as full of it as he does." She whispered to the former bionic soldier.

"What is a Hydroloop?" Adam asked. Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes.

"It's a ultra high-speed transport system. It works like a pneumatic tube to and from the island. You hop in on one side and it spits you out on the mainland in minutes." He explained. "That alone cost me fifty million dollars."

"Cool." S-3 yawned. "Well, I'm getting some sleep. Good night."

Then he, Kieran, and R-10 geo-leaped out of the lab, presumably landing on the main floor. Leo looked at Mr. Davenport.

"You couldn't spend fifty million dollars to make us do that?" He questioned.


	34. First Day at the Bionic Academy

Leo's POV

I couldn't believe it! Today was the grand opening of the Bionic Academy, and despite the fact that it was a pretty big change for everyone, we were all pretty excited. Even Bree, who usually didn't care about anything before eight a.m., wasn't able to stop herself from staring out the window in wonder as the ocean floor passed us by.

"This is going to be awesome." Calla grinned from her spot next to Chase. I was surprised to see her, actually. I didn't think her mom would agree to this, but she'd shown up at our house at six this morning with a bag and a coffee, clearly impatient for this thing to start.

Suddenly, the hydroloop slowed to a stop, the doors opening into fairly large area. We unbuckled our seatbelts and filed out, looking around at the scene before us. The room was pretty cool, half of it reserved for the hydroloop while the other looked like a sort of lounge area with a large window on the western wall. "Welcome to the Davenport Bionic Academy." Big D declared, getting up from one of the seat.

"Whoa, cool!" "Ooh, a window!" Bree and Adam were the first to speak, while Calla, Chase, and I just looked around in stunned amazement.

"Wow, the hydroloop is amazing!" Chase exclaimed. Calla nodded.

"We just went from the mainland to the middle of the ocean in less than thirty seconds!" She grinned. Big D nodded.

"It will take you anywhere you want to go on the island at any time." He informed us before he started to walk around.

"So, what do you think?" He asked.

"Beautiful view, tons of space…" Bree sighed. "I assume we'll be living in the basement again."

Big D chuckled. "No!" He smirked. "Here we call it below sea level."

"What about me?" I asked. "I don't sleep in a capsule, remember?" I had tried, once, but I kept falling over in my sleep. I had no idea how they managed to stay upright. Big D nodded.

"I had a few bedrooms built above section D for me and a few staff members." He replied. "You and Calla will each get your own rooms."

"Sweet." I grinned, before realizing what he said. I turned to Calla. "Wait, you're staying here? I thought you were only coming for the day?"

"Nope." Calla sounded pleased. "I convinced my mom to let me come and stay here because it's more convenient for my job. Her only conditions were that I have to come visit on weekends, and I need to take a couple of real classes online."

"So you're staying here permanently?" Chase beamed at the idea. Before Calla could reply (no doubt something cheeky) Mr. Davenport continued the tour.

"This," he began, walking over to a counter surrounded by chairs. Behind the counter was a large monitor, likely to be used as a virtual whiteboard. "Is one of the main class room areas."

He hit a button and the doors to our right opened up. He led us inside so we could see a large, circular room with benches around one half of it. "This is the training room where we'll develop the kid's skills and teach them to become bionic heroes."

"You couldn't teach Chase how to be one, what chance do they have?" Adam asked, putting one hand on my shoulder. Chase chose to ignore him, obviously not wanting to ruin the day with pointless bickering.

"Guys, this is serious. You have important roles as mentors." Big D told us. I smiled.

"Don't worry, Big D. We got this." I assured him. "Now, what exactly will I be teaching?"

Big D looked confused by my question. "Nothing, you're a student."

I stared at him. "A what?" I demanded. "But you let Calla give me a mission suit. You said I was part of the team!"

Bree nodded. "Yeah, he says a lot of things." She sent him a glare. "By the way, still waiting on that sweet sixteen party."

She walked away with Chase, obviously to go check out the facility. "Leo, you are part of the team." Big D assured me. "But you've only had your bionic arm for six months. You still have a lot more to learn."

I glared at him, crossing my arms. "Well that's the last time I save your life." I grumbled. He gave me a look. "Come on Big D, I am ready! Adam, Calla, tell him."

I turned to the two and they exchanged smirks. "Leo, were you not listening? We're teachers now." Calla pointed out. Adam nodded.

"It's Mr. Adam and Miss Calla to you." He agreed. I looked at them, then it dawned on me. I turned to Big D.

"Wait, you're making Calla a teacher and not me? She's not even bionic!" I protested. Mr. Davenport nodded.

"That's true, but I need Calla working here. She's got a lot to teach the students." He pointed out. I looked at him.

"Like what?" I questioned. Calla cleared her throat.

"I've been working on the bionics program for 5 years now, two more than you. That means I have the experience needed to deal with glitches, or just general problems with their abilities. Also, I've helped Adam, Bree, and Chase with their training since day one. I even helped you when you got your bionic arm." She pointed out. I glared at her, too annoyed to admit that she had a point. "Besides, we're supposed to be teaching them how to interact with humans. How are you supposed to do that without any humans present?"

"Alright, alright. I get it." I muttered. "But it's still not fair."

Calla smirked slightly. "Aw, bionic people problems." She teased lightly, ducking as I went to swipe at her head. She started towards the hydroloop, presumably to go check out her new bedroom. "The students will be here soon. You might want to get changed into your new uniform."

Chase's POV

Students had started pouring in just an hour after we arrived, as planned. By that point, I'd made myself familiar with the whole facility, noting where the best spots to teach were. I walked into the lobby, decked in my new mentor uniform. All of them were the same –white training pants, a black muscle shirt, and a white jacket.

"Hey Leo." I nodded to my stepbrother, noting that he was wearing one of the students uniforms – a mostly black training suit. The only differences between them were that the shoulders were different colours – a bright yellow, a bold red, a fiery orange, or a cool green.

"Hey." He grumbled, still looking upset about not being a mentor. "Nice outfits."

"Yours isn't bad." Bree offered, walking up to us. He gave her a look.

"I look like a bionic bumble bee." He pointed out. I bit back a laugh partially agreeing with him. Bree frowned, then looked around, noticing the different colours for the first time.

"Hey, what do the different colours mean?" She asked. I grabbed my tablet off the nearest table.

"Mr. Davenport, Calla, and I assessed each of the kid's bionics. The colours represent their level of mastery." I pressed some buttons on the tablet to show the levels. "Red is for expert, and it goes all the way down to yellow, for beginner."

"I'm a beginner?" Leo demanded just as a little boy in black and yellow walked up to us.

"Don't worry." The boy said to Leo, looking up at him. "I'm a beginner too."

Leo turned around to face him, not realizing that the boy was so much shorter than him. Finally, Leo looked down at him. He looked back at me. "I'm on the same level as him?" I nodded. "He's tiny."

The boy looked at Leo, offended. "I'm young. What's your excuse?" He questioned. I bit back a chuckle as the boy walked away, heading towards a group of kids talking to Calla. She looked away from the group just as the little boy sat down beside her and sent me a smile. I smiled back, but before I could go over to talk to her, I was interrupted by another rather young boy, also in the beginner class. This one, however, was a little bigger than the other.

"Hi." He greeted. He looked at Bree and smirked. "Sup little mama."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Can we help you?" She asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, I have a little problem with my uniform." He stated.

"What's the problem?" Mr. Davenport asked, walking over to us.

"How do I put this?" The boy asked. He turned around and gestured at his rear end. "I need a little more room in the cargo area."

Mr. Davenport frowned. "Are you sure about that?" he asked. "Because tight is where it's at, right guys."

He started to dance a little until there was a very audible ripping sound. He suddenly froze, his hands reaching behind him. "Why don't we just get started?" I suggested. He nodded.

"Agreed." He looked over at the large mass of children. "Calla, Adam! I need everyone into the training area."

We quickly rounded up the students and corralled them into the training area. Adam, Bree, Calla, and I stepped onto the main steps with Mr. Davenport in front of us. The students were unusually quiet as they waited for him to begin.

"Notice which ones are right at the front." Calla murmured to me. I nodded, looking at the crowd. Most of the people at the front were either beginners or students that we'd quickly connected with, like S-3 (orange level), Kieran (green level), and R-10 (orange level). Leo was also standing there, between the little boy from earlier and Kieran. "You can tell which ones are more enthusiastic about getting started."

"You're right." I agreed as Mr. Davenport began to speak.

"Hello and welcome to the world's first Davenport Bionic Academy!" He announced, earning a round of applause from the crowd.

"When do I get to the throttle people?" The little boy from earlier demanded.

"Hey!" Leo exclaimed, pulling him back. "We don't throttle people, Mighty Mouse."

"He is so adorable." Calla whispered, smirking. I rolled my eyes.

"Leo's right." Mr. Davenport agreed. "You're not soldiers, you're students. Now, I know you've had it rough and you're still adjusting to the outside world, but we're here to help."

We all nodded at the crowd, smiling at them. "You see, this facility is here so you can train your bionics in a safe space and develop into the heroes you see before me." Adam, Bree and I stepped forward into the spot light. Calla silently handed Mr. Davenport his tablet.

"But first, it's time to get rid of your soldier numbers and give you all real names." I could see excited looks on everyone's faces at the thought of it. "Z-12, you are not Donald Junior."

Said boy looked disappointed, but Mr. Davenport didn't notice. He just continued listing off names. "D-32, you are Donald the Third. D-64, Donna. V-41, Donatella. I-44, Donaldina. S-50-"

"I don't want to be a Donald!" The little boy beside Leo complained. "I already gave myself a name. Spin."

I let out a low chuckle, while Calla merely shook her head at the boy. "That's not really a name. Why do you want to be called 'Spin'?" Mr. Davenport questioned. The boy grinned.

"'Cause I can do this." He spun around, his body moving so fast that it was a tornado. A few seconds later, he came to a stop, a confident smirk on his small face.

"Nice." Calla was grinning as well.

"Alright. You're Spin." Mr. Davenport looked impressed. "I did not even know you could do that. You know what? Forget yellow. You just moved up to green."

"Yes!" Spin beamed, though Leo looked frustrated.

"Oh come on! He twirled!" He protested. Mr. Davenport gave him a look, but S-3 cut him off before he could speak.

"Mr. Davenport, I'd like to change my name from S-3 to Sebastian." He declared. Mr. Davenport didn't look so sure.

"Really? I always saw you as a Julio." Mr. Davenport suggested. Sebastian shook his head.

"Nah, I like Sebastian better." He replied. Mr. Davenport nodded and Calla stepped forward.

"Alright bionic peoples. You can have the next ten minutes to socialize, but then we'll give you your class assignments." She announced. Mr. Davenport nodded and went to go get the list. The second he was gone, she continued. "Oh, and about the names. If you don't like the name he gave you, you're free to come up with your own, or come to me, Adam, Bree, or Chase and we'll suggest something for you. Trust me, I don't think I could teach in a school full of Donalds."

Calla jumped off the stage, heading over to Kieran, Sebastian, Leo, and R-10. We followed. "Yeah, I don't think anyone wants to be a Donald." R-10 agreed. Bree smirked.

"Now we just need to think of a name for you." She announced. R-10 looked at us.

"Any suggestions?" We all thought about it.

"Willow or Evelyn?" Bree suggested. R-10 shook her head.

"Candy or Khloe?" Leo offered. Again they were rejected.

"Thalia or Bianca?" "Hazel, Harper?" "Danica, Ashley?" "Clara or Oswin?" Calla, Kieran, Sebastian, and I tried.

"They're nice names but…they just aren't me." R-10 shook her head before her hazel eyes landed on Adam, the only one not to have said anything. "What about you?"

"Let me think about it." He replied. "I'll come up with something awesome."

"Guys, here's your class list." Mr. Davenport announced, handing us the sheet. "Really, just choose any ten kids and start teaching. Try to have people of all levels, and don't discriminate by level or age."

"Well." Calla hummed, looking at the list of soldier numbers. She quickly changed a few of the numbers to the names already chosen. "First day of school. Always interesting."

Leo's POV

"Come on, Big D!" I pleaded, following him through the halls of Bionic Academy.

"Leo, you're not ready to become a mentor." He said, his tone implying that he was getting annoyed. "Now stop complaining and start getting to know your fellow students."

"I don't have to. They're all named Donald." He stopped and looked at me. I sighed. "Plus, I don't fit in anywhere. Everybody's already found their own groups."

I pointed to the left where Adam, a bunch of guys, and a single girl were laughing at some joke. Well, R-10 didn't look like she found it that funny, but she seemed right at home at Adam's side. "Adam's mentoring the Bionic Bros and R-10."

I walked forward and pointed to Bree's group. "Bree's the leader of the Alpha Girls."

Sure enough, my stepsister was showing off some fighting moves to her new friends. She quickly and cleanly kicked the head off a punching dummy before turning to them. "You can use that move to fight off an attack or to get even on a boy who stands you up on a date because of football game." She forced a smile onto her face. "Not that I'm bitter."

I looked back at Big D before gesturing to Calla and her class of bionics. "Calla's called dibs on the geniuses." Said non-bionic girl was showing the group a test tube and a glass of a strange mixture.

"Alright, so who knows what happens when you drop a catalyst into a potassium chlorate and sugar mixture?" She asked. Kieran's hand shot up in the air from where he was sitting.

"Rocket fuel." He grinned. Calla nodded.

"So today's lesson is making rockets without blowing ourselves up." She grinned. "Everyone grab some safety goggles and follow me to the empty classroom in section 3."

As they passed us by, Big D hummed. "Maybe giving her access to the supply closet wasn't such a good idea."

"And Chase," I continued, leading him into the other classroom, "is still being Chase."

All of his students, including Sebastian, were sitting at the counter, tablets in front of them. Chase was at the front, leading the class. "What do you get when you cross a joke with a rhetorical question?"

It was silent for a moment before everyone burst out laughing. I looked at Big D. "As for the other kids, they're all hiding because they're afraid you're going to give another speech."

"Well then, let's find them and give them one." He decided, his arm around my shoulder. He pulled me out of the room, not even giving me the chance to join any of the classes. It wasn't that I wanted to have my best friend and my siblings teach me, but Calla's rocket fuel experiment sounded kinda fun. If you ignored the possibility of getting blown up.

Chase's POV

"As your mentor," I began, looking at the group before me. "I've scheduled today's activities by military time. If you'll avert your attention to the virtual blackboard," I pressed a button the side and the schedule popped up, each block a different colour.

Suddenly, one of the boys raised his hand. "Donald the Third, no questions until 1100 hours."

He nodded and slowly lowered his hand. "Chase, it's only the first day." Sebastian pointed out. "Take it easy on him."

"I am taking it easy." I snapped. "If you had bothered to look at the magenta block, you'd see that I scheduled 6 and a half minutes of general horseplay."

He just stared at me. "Shenanigans, if you will." I explained. Sebastian raised an eyebrow and got to his feet. He walked up to the board, then nodded.

"Ah, okay. There it is." He said. "Guess I must have missed it since I don't have microscopic vision."

"Ha! I do!" I replied. I didn't know where the competitiveness had come from – usually I was only like this with Adam – but I wasn't going to back down.

"Look, I'm just saying, if I was in charge, I-" He began.

"Well you're not in charge, okay?" I interrupted him. "You're in my class, so why don't you sit down and pay attention?"

Sebastian looked at me and smirked. "I've got a better idea." He replied. "Why don't we just have our six minutes of fun now?"

With a grin, he swiped his hand across the virtual blackboard, breaking my schedule apart. "What are you doing?" I demanded. "You touched my blocks. Nobody touches my blocks."

I rushed to fix them. "Oops, sorry." There wasn't an ounce of sincerity in Sebastian's voice. "It must have slipped. Just like now."

He leaned forward and swiped the boards, making it worse than before. I glared at him. "That's it! You just earned yourself detention, mister!" I snapped.

"Good!" He replied. "I don't even know what that is!"

I glared at him, then looked at the class. "Everyone, take a ten minute break." I growled, pushing past him. I was not going to let him make me lose my temper in front of my class.

Adam's POV

So the first day wasn't going that bad, much to my surprise. I honestly expected an explosion of some sort before noon, but it never happened.

"So, have you thought of a name yet?" I asked R-10. The rest of the class was lifting weights with Bree and I supervising. Well, mainly Bree. R-10 had all of my attention.

"No." The brunette replied. "But I have heard some interesting suggestions."

"Like what?" I asked, leaning against the wall as she picked up a couple of dumbbells.

R-10 shrugged. "Phoebe, Luna, Nora…"

I shook my head. "You're not a Nora." I commented. She laughed lightly.

"I know. I can't think of a single name that fits me." She complained. I shrugged.

"We'll think of something." I offered just as Bree walked up to me.

"Hey, I'm going to go check out the cafeteria." Bree told me. "B-27 over there is starting to get on my nerves."

I looked over her shoulder to see a short boy looking at her dreamily. I nodded. "Bring me back a burger."

"Will do." Bree nodded. R-10 looked at her.

"Hey, can I come? I haven't been able to look around yet." She requested. Bree smiled.

"Sure, the company would be nice." She replied. Both girls left and I went back to supervising the students. It wasn't long before I saw the short boy head over to my set of weights. I stopped him before he could try to lift the bar.

"Whoa, whoa! Dude, be careful!" I called. "You can really hurt yourself with that. Those weights are like a hundred pounds a piece."

The boy chuckled. "You probably never heard of it but I've got a little something called super-strength." He bent down, lifted the bar above his head, did two reps, then placed it down on the floor like it was nothing. I grinned.

"Awesome! What else can you do?" I asked. He beamed, happy to be able to show off.

"Well, I'm the only student in the whole school who can do this." He pointed his hands at the ground and his body slowly lifted into the air until he was above my head.

"Whoa." Even though Chase had levitation too, he'd never done something that cool with it. The bow lowered himself to the ground, still grinning ear to ear. "Dude, you can fly?"

"Technically, it's called levitation. Look it up, bro." He replied. "I had to."

"Either way, we're going to have a blast together. What's your name?" I asked.

"Didn't get one yet." He replied. "I was thinking Theodore."

I shook my head. The name just didn't fit. "Nah, you need something more sophisticated and distinguished. A complex name for a man." Suddenly, it hit me. "I'm going to call you Bob."

"I like it!" Bob exclaimed, high-fiving me. He frowned. "Wait, how do you spell that?"

I grinned. "You and I are going to get along just fine."

Chase's POV

When I got back to the class, Sebastian was at the front of it, talking loudly. "And at 1400 hours, we'll all jump out the window and get eaten by sharks because it's better than listening to…" He caught sight of me and sighed. "Oh look. He's here."

"What do you think you're doing?" I questioned. Sebastian sighed and walked over to me.

"Look, I'm just trying to make people laugh before you put them to sleep." He explained. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I don't put people to sleep, I motivate them to think with their eyes closed!" Man, I really need better comebacks.

"Oh, well, do you also motivate them to snore?" Sebastian challenged. I glared at him.

"That's it. It's time I show you who's the boss." I growled. He didn't look intimidated in the least bit.

"Really? Are you sure you scheduled enough time for that?" He asked.

"I'll make room." I growled just as Calla and Bree walked up behind me.

"Chase, stop it." My girlfriend told me. "You can't pick a fight with him; you're a mentor now."

I sighed and looked at her. "He's turning my group against me." I complained, ignoring the pleading note in my voice. Bree sighed.

"Sebastian," She addressed him, "You may not like the way Chase runs his group, but it's his group. And if you can't respect that, then maybe you should find a different one."

"Got it." Sebastian grumbled. Bree suddenly stopped.

"Okay, when did I started talking like a mom?" She asked, walking away. Calla didn't leave however, instead leaning back against the hydroloop to watch what was going to happen next.

"They're right." Sebastian decided. "The two of us in the same group just isn't going to work."

"Finally, something we can agree on." I replied. He smiled.

"Good, so I'm going to take half of your group and make my own." He declared before turning to the group. "Let's go guys."

To my surprise, Danica, Jasper, and a couple of the unnamed students followed him down the hall. "You can't do that!" I called after him.

"Just did!" He called back. Donald the Third raised his hand, but I wasn't in the mood. "Does it look like 1100 hours to you?"

He lowered his hand as Calla walked up beside me. "What's your question, D3?"

"When's lunch?" He asked, avoiding my gaze. Calla looked at the clock above the blackboard.

"Now. You have one hour, then come back here." She instructed. The rest of my group dispersed, leaving to get something to eat. Calla looked at me. "Okay, I was not expecting Sebastian to do that."

"No, really?" I asked sarcastically. She gave me a look and I realized how rude I sounded. "Sorry, he's just getting on my last nerves."

"I can tell." She smirked. "Look, maybe you're being a little too hard on them? I know you like to have total control of the situation, but baby, I think you might be going a little overboard."

"I am not." I replied.

"Just consider what I've said." She told me. She looked over my shoulder into the training room. "Look, for the time being, I'm going to go talk to Sebastian and make sure those five aren't getting into any trouble."

"Someone should be supervising." I agreed. She smiled.

"Then you wouldn't mind taking over my group when they get back from lunch? They'll be back in about ten minutes." She told me. I sighed.

"Do I have a choice?" I asked. She smirked.

"None whatsoever." She said, pecking me quickly on the cheek. She started heading in Sebastian's direction. "Thanks!"

Leo's POV

I found Big D later, clearly having just finished target practice with the students who had heat vision. "Hey Big D!" I grinned excitedly at him. "Check out my new trick. I call it The Bionic Curve Ball."

I threw a fireball into the air and beamed and it circled Big D a couple of times before disappearing. He grinned. "That's fantastic, Leo!" He praised.

"I know." I smirked confidently. "Some might say it's only a skill a mentor may-"

"No." He cut me off midsentence. "But if you learned that in one day, imagine all the other things you will learn as a student."

"Hey Big D." Spin ran into the room, wearing his new green uniform. "Wanna see what I learned?"

I stared him down hard. "Whoa, don't you call my Big D, Big D." I snapped.

He looked up at me and then spun into a tornado, speeding across the room at random. When he finally came to a stop beside me, his arms were crossed and he was grinning proudly. "Whoa!" Big D exclaimed. "Now that was INCREDIBLE! You just moved up another color."

He high-fived Spin, the little boy beaming. I stared at Big D as he started to leave. "For what?" I called after him. "He buffed the floor!"

Big D gave me a look, but didn't say anything. "Thanks Mr. Davenport." Spin said. "I worked all day on it!"

Big D smiled, gestured at him, then at me, then back at him with a smile. I glared at him as he walked out, then turned on Spin. "Stop showing off." I ordered. "You're making me look bad."

"I'm not showing off, these skills come naturally." He retorted. "Just like you and your ability to complain."

I narrowed my eyes at the little boy. "You are working my last nerve, kid." I warned.

He merely smirked. "If you excuse me, I'm going to go get my new colour. You know, the one you didn't get?" He started to walk away, me seething with anger.

This was not fair at all! I wanted to punch something. Well, I wanted to punch him, but I knew I'd get in trouble for that, so I took my anger out on the wall instead. The second I hit it though, I knew I'd messed up. There was a loud bang, a large groan from beneath us and the entire room started shaking.

"Uh-oh." I murmured when the shaking stopped. Mist burst out of the crack I'd just made in the wall. Spin and I just stared at it. "Well, that can't be good."

"Leo, you shouldn't have done that!" Spin shouted as I tried to block the crack with my hands.

"I know I shouldn't have done that!" I screamed back. "Stop stating the obvious and help me fix the leak!"

Spin grabbed the empty trash can nearby and together we held it over the crack, letting the water flow into there instead of onto the floor. "When I punched the wall, I must have hit a water pipe." I realized.

"Who's stating the obvious now?" Spin grumbled, adjusting his grip on the trash can. Big D and Calla both ran into the room then, eyes wide.

"What's going on? The entire island shook!" Calla exclaimed.

"Guys, are you alright?" Big D turned to see us holding the trash can to the wall. I scrambled for an excuse.

"I…Well, I…it…it…" Suddenly, it hit me. "Spin did it!"

"I did it?!" The boy looked at me, angry. I nodded.

"See, he confessed!" I looked at Big D and Calla. "He was just spinning around the room and then he went right into this wall. He must have hit a water pipe. Thank goodness I was here to clean up his mess."

Calla crossed her arms, looking at me skeptically. It was pretty obvious she knew I was lying, but fortunately for me, she didn't call me out on it.

"Leo, that's not a water pipe." She informed me. I frowned.

"Calla's right, there's a structural beam behind that wall." He told us. "Spin's force must have cracked the foundation of the entire building. That's ocean water coming in."

"Ocean water? Like underneath us, ocean water?" Man, I messed up big time. "Like we're all going to drown-"

"Yes, ocean water!" Big D snapped.

"Mr. Davenport, Calla, I'm trying to tell you, I-" Spin began, only to be interrupted.

"Not now Spin." Big D's voice was full of disappointment. "We have to deal with this fast, or else the water pressure is going to build up and knock the whole island off it's foundation."

"Find a way to fix that hole." Calla instructed. Big D nodded.

"We'll go check for other damage." He ran off, but Calla stayed a moment.

"Leo…" She warned. I nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Go!" I snapped. She narrowed her eyes at me, but left all the same.

"I can't believe you blamed this on me!" Spin exclaimed the second she was gone. I gave him an apologetic look.

"I panicked! If he ever found out that I was the one who did this, he'd know I'm not ready to be a mentor." I replied. He gave me a look.

"Guess what? You're not!" He released the trash can and without both of our strengths, it flew out of my hands. With one final glare at me, Spin walked away, leaving me to deal with the mess alone.

Adam's POV

Okay, surfboarding was fun normally, but when your board was a bionic superhuman, it was just epic. Bob and I were having so much fun until Bree showed up to ruin it.

"Adam!" Her shrill voice came from behind us. "Get off of him! He's not a surfboard."

"I know." I agreed. "Surfboard's don't belch every time you take a corner."

Bree stared at me, so I hopped off Bob's back. "That was awesome!" I high-fived the boy. Bree just looked at us, much to Bob's pleasure.

"Hey Breezy." He smirked at her. I watching in amusement as he tried to flirt with my sister. "I've got a name now."

He looked at me. "What is it again?" He asked. Smirking, I supplied him with his answer.

"Bob." I replied.

"It's Bob." He turned back to Bree. "Are you loving it?"

"Yeah." Bree had a fake smile on her face. "But I'm going to go love it over there."

She walked away, throwing me a stern look as she did. Clearly, she wanted me to keep him away from her. Probably not going to happen.

"Hey Bob, do you want to go outside and see if you can hover over the water like a real surfboard?" I asked excitedly.

"Sure, but what if it doesn't work?" He asked uncertainly. I shrugged.

"No biggie, I can breathe underwater." I replied.

"Yeah, but I can't." He pointed out. I chuckled.

"Well, then you're in trouble." Without waiting for him to reply, I started leading him towards the hydroloop so it could take us outside.

Leo's POV

"How's the leak?" Big D ran in just as I had stepped back to admire my work.

"Leak, what leak?" I asked. "There is no leak. That wall is as good as new."

I gestured at the duct tape covered crack as Calla and Spin walked in. Judging by the look on her face, Spin had told Calla the truth.

"Mr. Davenport, can I talk to you?" Spin asked.

"Not now Spin. We're still cleaning up your mess." Big D snapped at the younger boy. "And by the way, you are demoted back down to yellow. Or whatever is below yellow. What is that, buttercup? You're buttercup."

"But that's not fair! It wasn't even my fault!" Spin objected, tears creeping into the corner of his eyes.

"I don't want to hear it." Big D replied. Calla crossed her arms.

"Sir, I think you might." She began, but he shook his head.

"No. To think I was proud of him. Maybe he's too young for this." He mentioned to her. I sighed. Time to fess up.

"Big D, wait." I stopped him.

"What?" He demanded, clearly tired of all the crap that had happened today.

I glanced back at Spin, then at him. "It wasn't his fault. I did it."

I could feel Spin and Calla both staring at me, one gaze surprised and the other proud. "You?" Big D was surprised.

"I got so frustrated I punched the wall." I explained. He looked at me.

"I can't believe you, Leo." He said. "Not only did you damage my brand new academy, but you lied to me and betrayed my trust!"

The building shook then, worse than before. "What was that?" Spin asked nervously.

"I…don't know?" Big D looked confused. Calla looked at me.

"Whatever it is, it's not good." She stated the obvious. Before I could reply, we heard Bree shout from the nearest class room.

"Mr. Davenport!" We ran into the room to see her, Sebastian and a couple of other students staring out the window. The waves around us were choppy and rising.

"The entire island is sinking!" Big D exclaimed. Bree looked at him.

"I sent Kieran and R-10 to find Chase and Adam." She said, just as Chase and Kieran burst through the door, students following them.

"What?" Chase demanded, obviously having heard what she said. "Sinking, how?"

"Well, you see Chase," Sebastian was obviously trying to sound like a smartass. "When water rises above-"

"I KNOW WHY THINGS SINK!" Chase shouted back. Clearly, those two were having issues.

"Leo punched a wall and cracked a foundation." Calla told her boyfriend. Bree, Chase, Kieran and Sebastian all stared at me.

"Why would you do that?" Bree demanded.

"Well I didn't think this was going to happen!" I retorted.

"Well, what did you think was going to happen?" Chase questioned.

"Honestly, Leo, how could you do something so dumb?" Sebastian commented. Kieran nodded.

"You need to think things through, man." All of a sudden, everyone in the room started turning against me. I let them talk, knowing that I had screwed up. But Spin wasn't going to let them complain.

"HEY!" He shouted, getting everyone's attention immediately. Even R-10, who had just returned without Adam, stopped in her tracks. "So he made a mistake! We all make mistakes!" Everyone watched him silently. "I mean, not as big as that one. That was just HUGE!"

"Okay, we get it." I told him. He nodded.

"Instead of yelling at him," he addressed the crowd again, "let's help him fix it."

"He's right." Sebastian agreed. "Maybe I can lift the island back onto its foundation. I mean, after all, I do have telekinesis."

Chase glared at him. "So do I, buddy. Get in line." He growled.

"Chase." Calla warned softly, giving him a look. He gave her one back, more frustrated than anything else.

"That will help, but it's still not enough. The island is too heavy." Big D pointed out.

"Don't worry, my whole group has telekinesis." Sebastian assured him.

"So does mine!" Chase growled. He looked at the girl next to him, Anika I think, and whispered, "And if you don't, just fake it."

I leaned over towards Calla. "What's going on between those two?" I hissed. She sighed.

"They're both being idiots." She replied before stepping forward. "Look, if you can do it, start doing it already!"

Chase nodded. "If we work together." He said to his group, "we can pull our abilities together to form one giant force and raise the island. Follow me."

Chase started towards the training area, likely because it was at the center of the island. But Sebastian wasn't going to let him get all the glory. "Oh no you don't!" He called after my stepbrother. "My group will raise the island. Follow me."

"Please." Calla muttered. "If those two keep fighting, they're definitely going to raze the island."

I smirked at her pun as we all watched the two groups from the hall way. Both groups were facing different directions and trying to use their telekinesis to lift the island. Bree looked away from them long enough to glance at R-10.

"Where's Adam?" She asked.

"Not sure." She replied with a shrug. "I couldn't find him or Bob."

"Lovely." Bree muttered before returning her attention to the two groups. It was clear by the way they building slanted and swayed that it wasn't working as well as they'd hoped. As it slanted one way, all of us fell against the wall, hitting it hard. Then as Sebastian raced to outdo Chase, it slanted to the other side, throwing the rest of us across the room.

"Whoa." I complained, trying desperately to regain my balance. Calla, Big D and I hit the wall, while Bree, Spin, and R-10 went out the door.

"If you guys don't work together," Big D called, "we aren't going to have an academy!"

"We're almost completely submerged!" We heard Bree cry. Sebastian looked at Chase.

"What if we combine our groups?" He suggested. "T hat way we could spread the force equally and lift the entire island at once."

Chase thought about it for a second, then nodded. "You're right. Everyone, form a circle!"

The building stopped slanting to our immense relief as they all formed a circle around the room. R-10 ran into the room. "Ocean water is starting to come in through the hydroloop tunnel." She informed us. Big D looked at Chase and Sebastian.

"Hurry!" He shouted. Chase looked at Sebastian, then at the group.

"Alright, on my count." He said. Sebastian nodded. "Three. Two. One. Now!"

The all raised their hands and immediately, the atmosphere changed. It was like an elevator slowly going upwards. Soft groans of concentration came from Chase, Sebastian and the students as they lifted the building, the shaking slowly receding. We stopped suddenly, a loud clang telling us that the building was now on its foundations once more.

We all stopped for a moment to be sure that it had worked and when the island didn't move, we grinned. "Yes! You did it!" Big D exclaimed. "The island is back on its foundation!"

Cheers and relieved exclamations came from everyone in the room. Chase immediately walked over to Sebastian. "Good job." The former soldier commented. Chase nodded.

"Yeah, you too." He replied. Sebastian smiled and went back to his friends while Chase hugged both Bree and Calla.

Big D walked over to me. "Hey." I said nervously. "What do you know? All's well that ends well."

Big D had that fake smile on his face that was usually followed by a punishment for my many screw ups. "Yeah, this isn't going to end well." I stated the obvious.

"I'm very disappointed in you Leo." He told me. "But you took responsibility and you didn't leave Spin on the hook." I glanced down at the younger boy, who was sitting on the steps behind us. "You learned a very valuable lesson today. As a student."

"You just had to add that, didn't you?" I called as he walked away to speak with Calla and R-10. I sighed and plopped myself down next to Spin. "Hey." I smiled at him. "Thanks for standing up for me. You didn't have to do that."

"Well somebody had to do it. You really messed up." He was smirking. "I mean you REALLY-"

"Okay." I stopped him, standing up. He got up too, standing on the bench so that we were eye-level. I held out my hand. "Friends?"

"Yeah." He agreed, shaking my hand. "But don't think I'm not going to show you up every chance I get."

I stared at him. "And don't think I'm not going to train 24/7 to make you look like the runt you are."

"Runt?" He repeated, clearly offended. "I will spin you back to the mainland!"

"I think you mean twirl." I challenged, twirling in place before walking away. He followed me.

"I don't twirl!" He objected. I chuckled.

"Face it, you're a bionic ballerina." I told him. He glared at me.

"How about I twirl all over your face?" He raced at me and I had the sense to run. However, despite his anger, I knew he was just messing around.

Chase's POV

So, Bree and Calla weren't that pleased with Sebastian and I. Understandable, because in the midst of arguing, we nearly let the island sink. Although, Bree was going a little overboard, if you asked me.

"And I hope this experience has taught you two to stop working against each other and start working together." Bree told us, pacing around the two chairs she'd forced us to sit in. Calla was leaning against the wall, trying and failing to hide an amused smirk behind her fist.

"Now Chase," Bree looked at me, "is there anything you want to say to Sebastian?"

I sighed. "I guess I could call a truce." I muttered. "As long as he learns to respect my authority as a mentor."

"And Sebastian?" Calla called, not wanting to be left out of this. He sighed.

"I'm good with a truce as long as he stops acting like a bionic dictator." He grumbled. I glared at him.

"I only do that because I know what everyone should do and when they should do it!" I snapped. Both Bree and Calla looked at me, the former sternly and the latter amused. "Okay, I see your point."

Bree nodded. "Alright good. I'm going to go make you two a snack." She stopped herself and shuddered. "Ugh, what is happening to me? Pretty soon I'm going to start car pooling at a soccer practice!"

She walked off, a disgusted look on her face. Calla smirked. "Someone's been spending too much time around Tasha." She commented. She glanced at us. "So basically, stay out of trouble, and don't try to kill each other. Got it?" We both nodded. "Good. I'm going to go call my brother. I promised to tell him all about the first day."

She kissed me on the cheek and walked out, waving as she went. "Bye Chase, bye Sebastian!"

Sebastian glanced in the direction that Bree left in. "Bree's pretty cute." He commented. I looked at him.

"Dude, that's my sister." I pointed out. He nodded.

"I know." He agreed before smiling. "Could you put in a good word for me?"

I didn't look at him. "Truce is off." I declared, getting up and walking away.

Adam's POV

I was just heading towards the capsule dorm that belonged to Bree, Chase and I when I caught sight of R-10. She was sitting in the lounge area of the academy, staring up at the night sky through the massive window. I frowned in confusion and walked up to her, sitting down beside her on the ground. "What are you doing up?" I asked. She looked at me nervously.

"I'm not going to get in trouble for being out of the dorm so late, am I?" She asked. I smiled.

"I won't tell if you won't?" I suggested, earning a soft smile from the girl. "Seriously though, what's up?"

"Oh it's just…I like looking at the stars." She looked up at the sky. I hummed in agreement – in a city like Chester's Mill, the bright lights made it hard to see the twinkling stars, but out here in the middle of the ocean, we had the best view of it. And it really was rather beautiful. "I like astrology, you see." R-10 continued. "They're amazing."

"Yeah." I agreed. She glanced at me.

"Was it this amazing from the mainland?" She asked. I shrugged.

"Not the sky, but everything else was pretty cool." I replied. "I mean, this place is cool, but the mainland had pizza, and sports, and…well actually, that was pretty much it."

She laughed. "Maybe I'll check it out sometime." She told me. I nodded.

"You should." I agreed before looking at her. "So I hear I missed quite the party today."

R-10 laughed lightly. "Yeah, where were you? I looked for you everywhere."

"Surfing with Bob." I replied with a grin. She looked at me.

"Tell me he wasn't the surfboard." She pleaded. I shook my head, still grinning.

"Nah. Calla had these old surfboards that she doesn't use often, so I asked if I could borrow them for the day." I replied. She smiled.

"Sounds like fun." She commented. I smiled back at her.

"Maybe I'll take you next time." I offered. Then I remembered something. "Oh! I thought of a name for you."

"Really?" She leaned forward with interest, pushing one of her bangs behind her ears. I nodded.

"Rio." I told her. She looked at me, clearly thinking the name over in her head. "You know, it's so close to R-10. I mean, R-1-0, R-I-O. I thought it would be perfect."

"Yeah." She thought about it for a moment. "Rio. Yeah, I like that name. I'm Rio." She grinned at me. "I love it."

"I'm glad." I was about to say something else when a knock on the wall caught my attention. We turned to see Calla standing there, Chase right behind her. They were both smirking. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Davenport just busted us heading upstairs to the second floor." Chase explained with a guilty smile on his face. I smirked.

"The second floor, where the bedrooms are?" I asked. Calla gave me a look, clearly wanting me to shut up.

"Look, he's doing rounds and you've got about two minutes to hide before he catches you." She told us, grabbing Chase's hand and heading towards our dorm. I sighed, got up, and offered Rio my hand.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" I asked. She nodded.

"I certainly hope so." She replied with a wink before heading towards her own dorm.


	35. Adam Steps Up

Leo's POV

It was on our fourth day at the academy that Calla, and Chase introduced the new type of training. They'd combined both of their classes into the training room, so Kieran, Spin, and I were all hanging around.

"So, why did they combine our classes?" Spin asked, looking up at Kieran. He shrugged.

"Probably so they could have an excuse to be around each other." He replied. I smirked.

"Probably." I agreed just as the two mentors walked to the center of the room.

"Listen up guys!" Chase called. "We're introducing a new element to training. The bionic battle."

"Each week, two of you will be pitted against each other in a physical challenge." Calla continued.

"To the death?" Spin demanded hopefully. I gave him a hard look.

"Yes. Big D built this multimillion dollar facility to train and house you just so we could pick you off one by one." I told him, sarcasm dripping from my tone.

"Anyway, each week's winner will earn points toward advancing to the next bionic skill level." Chase continued. Calla nodded.

"As for the loser…well, he gets humiliated." She told us with a smirk.

"Everyone understand?" Chase questioned. We all nodded and Calla turned towards Spin.

"Spin, since you're the youngest here, you get to choose an opponent first." She told him. The boy grinned.

"Yes!" He turned around to face the rest of us, his shoulders back in an attempt to intimidate the rest of us. "Scared? You should be!"

Although no one was really scared of the younger boy, we all decided to humour him anyway.

"No, no. This isn't about scaring people." Chase told him, smiling at Spin in amusement. "No one is going to get hurt."

As if on queue, a basketball flew out of the other room, hitting him in the back. We all turned towards the source of it to see Adam, Bob, Rio and some other kids taking shots at the basketball net in the other room. Hearing the commotion from her own classroom, Bree ran in just as Calla, Kieran and I followed Chase into the room. "What are you doing?" Chase demanded.

"We're throwing this thing," Bob held up his basketball, "at that thing." He pointed at the net. "I'm an athlete."

"Do you guys want to join us?" Rio asked, holding her basketball out towards Kieran. He shook his head.

"No thanks." He replied. Calla looked at Adam, ignoring the students.

"Adam, you're a mentor now." She reminded him sternly. "Start acting like one."

"I am." He protested. "We're supposed to teach them how to use their abilities, so we're having a bionic slam dunk contest!"

To prove Adam's point, Bob leapt into the air with the help of his levitation. Unfortunately, he miscalculated his trajectory and hit the net hard. The ball went through the white webbing, but he was left hanging there from the rim. "Bob, get down from there!" Bree exclaimed.

"Sorry little lady." Bob let out a nervous laugh, his grip tightening on the rim. "No can do."

"Why not?" Calla asked, confused.

"Because I'm afraid of heights!" He cried, refusing to look down. We all stared at him.

"But you can levitate." Chase pointed out.

"Well I'm good going up, it's the going down part that never ends well!" Bob really did sound scared. Calla looked at Chase, then gestured at Bob. He sighed.

"Fine. I'll use my telekinesis to get him down." He agreed, sending a glare at Adam before stepping closer to the boy.

"Or you could just use a ladder." Bree stated the obvious. I smirked, then watched in horror as Chase's attempt to help Bob went awry. One minute, he was trying to telekinetically lift Bob from the rim, the next he was lying flat on his back with both Bob and the backboard sitting on top of him.

"I don't know what you're talking about Bob – that ended very well." Adam chuckled, looking down at them.

Adam's POV

"Yo, peoples!" Calla called, walking towards Chase, Bree and I. She was holding up a clipboard and a pen. To our surprise, she was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt rather than her mentor uniform.

"Hey Calla, what's going on?" Chase asked, his arm automatically wrapping around her waist. She smiled.

"I'm heading back to the mainland for the day. Check in with Jay and Mom, then do a supplies run." She explained. Bree frowned.

"Don't we have enough supplies?" She asked, concerned. Calla nodded.

"For the students, yeah. But I was thinking of grabbing stuff like spare parts for some of my inventions, a bit of junk food, etc. You know, to make this place seem a little more like home." She explained. "Did you guys want anything?"

"Actually, yeah." I grabbed her clipboard and wrote something down at the bottom of her list, just below the items 'Power Cells' and 'Doritos'. Calla looked at it, then at me.

"Why would you want one of these?" She asked, confused. I shrugged.

"I'm trying to impress a girl." I admitted. Calla looked at me, then laughed lightly.

"Yeah, sure. Usually these cost a lot, but I've got one at home that I don't use anymore. It's all yours." She agreed. Bree looked at her.

"Hey, you're going to see Jaden, right?" She asked hopefully. Calla rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, he promised to give me his lasagne recipe." She replied before humming wistfully. "Seriously, if Jaden didn't want to become a pro football player, he could make a living as a gourmet chef."

She wasn't kidding. For Calla's 17th birthday, he'd made burgers and they were easily the best burgers I'd ever tasted.

Bree smiled. "Could you tell him…" She broke off, remembering that both Chase and I were listening and that if she said anything romantic, we'd likely tease her for it, "Well, just tell him to call me."

Calla chuckled. "Will do." She agreed just as Mr. Davenport walked into the room, speaking into his cell-phone.

"Okay Tasha…I…I got it honey…okay, now you're just growling."

We looked at him, both confused and amused. "Trouble in paradise?" Bree asked as he hung up.

"I've just been so busy with the academy I haven't been able to spend any time with Tasha." He explained with a sigh.

I chuckled. "And she's complaining about that?" I questioned. Everyone gave me looks, but I still found my comment amusing.

"Hey Mr. Davenport, why don't you go back to Mission Creek for a couple of days?" Chase offered. "We can handle things here."

Mr. Davenport didn't seem to like the idea of leaving four teenagers in charge of an island full of bionic superhumans. "Thanks, but there's too much going on here. Tasha will just have to wait."

We all exchanged looks, knowing that if he made Tasha wait, there would be hell to pay. "Hey Big D." Leo walked in carrying a stack of weights to the weight room. "What are you and Mom doing for your anniversary tonight?"

"Anniversary…!" Mr. Davenport gasped. "I'll call you from the mainland!"

He ran out and Calla sighed. "I might as well catch a ride with him."

"See you later?" Chase asked hopefully. She nodded before pecking him on the cheek.

"Yeah, I should be back in time for dinner." She replied. She looked at us. "Try not to sink the building, lose a child, or burn anything down." She ordered, thinking of everything that could go wrong.

"Got it." "Say hi to Jaden." "See ya!" We called after her.

Kieran's POV

I watched from my hiding spot near the back of the room as Calla and Mr. Davenport's hydroloop car disappeared. Another one would replace it soon enough and I was going to make sure I was on it.

"What are you doing?" I started as Rio suddenly appeared behind me. I spun around, glaring at her.

"Did you use your intangibility to walk through the wall and scare me?" I hissed. She shrugged.

"Maybe." She admitted mischievously before frowning at me in confusion. "So what are you doing?"

"I am going to sneak back to Mission Creek for a few hours." I looked around to make sure no one else was present. Rio gave me a look.

"Why?" She sounded totally confused as to why I would. I grinned sheepishly.

"I left my phone in my locker at the high school?" I tried. She put her hands on her hips.

"You're sneaking out for a cell phone?" She questioned.

"Hey! It has four hundred dollars worth of music on it!" I protested. She crossed her arms, obviously not believing me. "Okay. So what's the real reason you're sneaking out?" She demanded. I sighed.

"Look, I want to talk to Calla alone, alright?" I snapped. Rio frowned.

"And you can't do that here?" She questioned. "What do you need to talk to her about anyway."

I sighed. "About before." When she didn't understand, I elaborated. "About before we all came to Bionic Academy. There's this giant blank in my memory where I can't remember anything at all and-"

"We all do, Kieran." Rio pointed out, stopping me. She had a serious look on her face. "None of us remember what happened before Adam found us."

"But I remember times before that!" I insisted. "I remember going to school with them, and I remember the outside world. But everything between then and now is a blur, and I have a feeling that there's something they're not telling us."

"And you want answers." Rio nodded in understanding. I nodded.

"Is that too much to ask?" I questioned. She shook her head. Suddenly, a thought came to mind. "Besides, we can test out that new ability we discovered."

Once again, Rio looked at me skeptically. "I'm not so sure if that was a new ability. It could have just been a freak accident."

I scoffed. "Rio, we spoke to each other telepathically. I don't think that's a freak accident."

"One time." Rio reminded me. "And I haven't been able to do it since."

"Maybe it only works with the two of us." I suggested. "Because of the way we were made."

"You mean, like twin telepathy?" Rio shook her head. "This is crazy."

I gestured at the room. "You do know we're going to school to learn how to be superheroes, right?" I questioned. She let out a laugh.

"Fine. Try to message me, or whatever you want to call it, when you get to Mission Creek." She told me. I grinned.

"Will do." I looked back at the hydroloop to see that my ride was here. "Gotta go."

Adam's POV

"So, are we going to do this or not?" Bob asked excitedly.

"Hold on a second." I cautioned him as we walked into the main classroom by the hydroloop. Rio, Chase, and Bree were there, chatting with some of the students. "Hey, is Mr. Davenport gone yet?"

"Yep. The hydroloop left a few minutes ago." Rio replied. I grinned.

"Good because the party train just arrived!" I hit my chest against Bob's, accidently knocking him to the ground. "Sorry dude." I apologized, helping him back to his feet.

"It's cool. I'm a beast!" He replied, grinning. I laughed.

"Alright! Who's ready to do things we'll regret?" I called, earning some cheers from my group.

"We're supposed to be responsible!" Of course Bree would try to ruin our fun.

"Look, we're supposed to teach them life lessons and today's life lesson is about doing things we can't do when Mr. Davenport is here." I turned to Bob. "Right Bob?"

"Right!" We tried to chest bump again, but that went as well as it did the first time.

"Adam, Mr. Davenport left us in charge." Chase told me as I once again pulled Bob into a standing position. "We're not goofing around."

"Alright." I narrowed my eyes at Chase, refusing to let him tell me what to do in front of my class and potential future girlfriend. "Well I'm in charge too and I say we are."

I turned around and grabbed Bob by the shoulder. "Bob, these are the moments that define us. The moments that prove that we are men." I told him, looking him in the eye. "Now let's go have a cannonball contest!"

The group cheered again, much to Bree and Chase's frustration. They all ran off, presumably to get changed into their academy-issue swimsuits, leaving just me, Bree, Chase, and Rio.

"Adam, take this seriously!" Bree exclaimed. I grinned.

"No way, that wouldn't be as much fun." I started to leave, but stopped at the door. "Rio, are you coming?"

To be honest, I wasn't sure what she would do. She seemed like one of those good girls that would avoid getting into trouble at any cost, but I could sense that there was an inner rebel in there somewhere. Rio looked at Chase and Bree, then at me, then back at them.

"Oh, what the hell?" She sighed before smiling at me. "Just let me get changed into my bathing suit."

I grinned, heading towards my own dorm to get changed.

Leo's POV

"Welcome to paradise!" I announced as the hydroloop slowed to a stop. The doors opened, revealing the academy. Janelle looked out at the room from beside me and I took that as a queue to get out. Grabbing her bags for her, I stepped out of the hydroloop. She followed.

"You said we were going to Hawaii." She complained, looking around.

"We did." I nodded. "We went right under it."

She gave me a look, but before I could make a joke, Chase walked up to us.

"Leo, what do you think you're doing?" He questioned, drawing the attention of Bree and a couple of the students.

"Well since Big D is off taking care of his lady, I invited mine down for a little island vacation." I replied with a grin.

"This isn't a vacation resort." Chase told me just as a few of the students, Daniel, Zane, and Aaron, walked by carrying pool noodles and towels.

"Leo," Bree continued as though Chase's point hadn't been proven wrong, "Mr. Davenport is counting on us to work while he's away. Just help us out."

"I would love to help, but that sounds like a mentor problem and I'm just a student." For the first time since I got here, I was actually pleased to be a student. "Ta-ta!"

"Wait, you're just a student?" Janelle questioned as I led us onto the second floor where the spare bedrooms were. "I thought you said you were a teacher."

I laughed nervously, knowing that I was busted. "I am." I lied. I spotted Spin talking to a couple of the older students. "Hey look, there's one of my students now."

I pulled Spin over to us. "What? I'm not your student!" He objected.

I narrowed my eyes at him, willing him to play along. "Children." I commented to Janelle. "What he's trying to say is, we don't use labels here."

Janelle nodded, giving me that look that told me she didn't believe a word I said but that she would humour me anyway. "No, what I'm trying to say is that we're ranked by colours." Spin insisted. "Leo's a yellow. That's the lowest." He looked at Janelle. "You're scraping the bottom of the barrel, sweetheart."

Oh, I was so going to kill him later. "I see what's going on." I continued with my act. "You're just talking smack because you're tired of living in my shadow! I'd be jealous of me too."

"Jealous?" Spin repeated. "You're the one guy here who makes me feel better about myself!"

"Ooh." The crowd that had formed was obviously amused by Spin's comment. I took a deep breathe, trying to not get angry enough to punch a wall. The last time I did that, it didn't work out well for anyone.

"Okay, LITTLE boy." I looked down at him. "I don't have time for your games."

I tried to lead Janelle out of there, but Spin wasn't going to let me. "Oh, it's not a game!" He stopped me. "This just got real! Because I choose YOU as my opponent in the first bionic battle!"

I stared at him. Was he really challenging me in front of my girl? "Me?" I repeated.

"Yeah, you! Unless, of course, you don't want me to embarrass you in front of your girlfriend?" He challenged me.

That was his worst mistake. "You know what? I accept your challenge. The battle is on."

Spin and I glared at each other for a moment until the crowd dispersed, Spin leaving with them. "Great." Janelle said sarcastically. "While you two have your little showdown, I'll just sit alone on the beach."

I looked at her. "Janelle, that is not going to happen. We don't have a beach."

Kieran's POV

So, since I didn't really know where Calla was heading, I decided to head to the school. I hadn't been lying to Rio when I said I left my cell phone there, and I did want it back.

Speaking of Rio, I should probably try to message her. I leaned against the school's wall, trying to concentrate. I wasn't entirely sure about how to go about this, so I closed my eyes and tried to think as 'loud' as I could.

Rio? Can you hear me? I stood there, feeling like a complete idiot. Okay, maybe we should have tried this a different way.

Suddenly, I heard voices coming from inside the school. Glancing inside, I saw Calla by her locker, chatting with Rebeccka. I realized instantly that Calla had called one of her oldest and most loyal friends to help clear out her locker.

"So, is it true?" Rebeccka was saying, looking at Calla as she dropped several old books into her backpack. Said genius spared her friend a glance.

"Is what true?" She inquired, pulling a pencil case out of her locker.

"That you, the Davenport siblings, and Dooley are all working for the government now?" She commented. Calla laughed lightly.

"And where did you hear this?" She questioned, her tone light. Rebeccka shrugged.

"I know people." She replied absently. Calla shook her head.

"The government occasionally asks Adam, Bree, and Chase for help, but that's really it." Calla told her. Rebeccka frowned.

"So why did you drop out then?" Calla looked at her, surprised. "Please, everyone knows that none of you are going to school here anymore."

Calla rolled her eyes. "I didn't drop out." She assured Rebeccka. "None of us did."

"Then where have you been?" The other girl questioned. Calla hesitated and for a second, I worried that she might tell Rebeccka the truth. The Bionic Academy was supposed to be a secret, but Calla had always trusted people a little too much, especially her friends.

However, she just smiled at Rebeccka. "Look, Davenport had Adam, Bree, Chase, and Leo transfer because of all the bad publicity they got and I…" She sighed. "And I convinced my mom to let me change schools to so I could be with them."

"With him, you mean." Rebeccka bought the lie instantly, smirking. Calla ducked her head, her face turning red a bit.

"Yeah, to be with Chase." She agreed. Rebeccka cooed and gave Calla a hug.

"You're going to be one of those couples that get married after high school, aren't you?" She teased. Calla shrugged.

"Well, it probably won't happen right after high school, but someday…" She trailed off dreamily. She glanced at her watch. "Damn, I wish I could stay, but I should get going soon."

"Well, don't forget to visit." She told her. Calla smiled.

"Trust me, you haven't gotten rid of me yet." She assured her. Rebeccka grinned back.

"Good. Tell the others I said hi." She started to leave. "Oh, and Caleb was asking about you, by the way."

"Thanks." Calla grumbled the last bit before closing her locker door. She glanced over her shoulder. "I know you're there."

She turned around to face me, a stern look on her face. I sent her a guilty grin. Busted.

Adam's POV

"So everyone else was arguing about what to do because they were too dumb to realize that the answer was right in front of their eyes." I was saying to Rio, trying to impress her. She nodded.

"So, what did you do?" She asked. I chuckled.

"I grabbed my phone, called Tasha and told her to take the bus." I said simply. "You should have seen the looks on everyone's faces when she walked into the lab."

"God, that's hilarious. Right Bob?" She turned around to where Bob had been sitting. The spot was empty now, his plate completely abandoned. "Bob?"

"Where'd he go?" I wondered aloud, looking around. The cafeteria was mostly empty, with the exception of a few students trying to make themselves something to eat in the kitchen area. Mr. Davenport had yet to hire a chef, so for the time being we were forced to make our own meals. And since none of the soldiers knew how to cook, that usually ended with the kitchen catching fire. Surprisingly, not only was the kitchen spotless, but Bob was no where to be seen.

"Tell me we didn't actually lose him." Rio worried. I gave her a reassuring smile.

"Maybe Bree and Chase have seen him." I suggested, getting up. I grabbed our plates, dropped them in one of the sinks – whoever's turn it was to do dishes was going to be pretty annoyed when they saw how many plates there were – and turned to the pretty girl. "Why don't we ask them?"

Rio nodded and led the way into the lounge area of the academy. Sure enough, both Bree and Chase were there, talking with Sebastian.

"Hey, have you guys seen Bob?" I demanded. "Short, blonde, looks like Bob?"

Bree gave me a look. "I thought you were mentoring him and Rio in the fire art of cannonballs."

"I was." I agreed. "But I haven't seen him since he took out that swordfish."

Chase looked at me, horrified. "You lost him in the ocean?" He demanded.

"No, in the cafeteria." I replied, staring at him like he was stupid.

"Adam made us seafood for lunch." Rio explained. Sebastian looked at us, then raised two fingers to his temple. He frowned, lowering them a second later.

"That's strange. I'm not getting any trace of Bob on my bionic beacon." He looked at us, confused.

"What are we going to do?" Bree questioned. Chase sighed audibly.

"I don't know." He looked at me. "But I am not about to lose a man on my watch."

I stared at him. "Forget about the man on your watch , we have to find Bob!"

"It's an expression, Adam. He means we're going to find him." Rio assured me. Sebastian looked at her.

"Hey, why don't you grab Kieran? He can help us look." He suggested. She suddenly froze, a guilty look on her face.

"Y-yeah…" She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "About that…He's not here."

Kieran's POV

"What the hell are you doing here?" Calla demanded, leading me out of the school. I sighed, having to jog to keep up with her fast pace.

"I needed to talk to you." I told her, ignoring the look of annoyance she sent me. Ever since I'd gotten to Bionic Academy, our friendship had been strained, much to my frustration. "Come on Calla! Slow down, will you?"

She sighed, slowing to a normal pace. "You shouldn't have followed me." She told me. I looked at her.

"I needed answers." I stated.

"And you couldn't have asked Chase, Adam, or Bree?" She asked. I shrugged.

"Maybe, but I have a feeling you're more likely to tell me the truth. Every time I bring up the gaps in my memory to them, they skirt around the subject." I pointed out. She gave me a look as we turned down the street.

"It's for a good reason, Kieran." She told me. I nodded thoughtfully.

"I assume so. But I'd still like to know." I insisted. She shook her head.

"No, you really don't." She retorted. I grabbed her upper arm suddenly, stopping her. She turned and gave me a look. "Kieran…"

"I want to know why you hate me." I told her. She sighed, looking down.

"I don't hate you." She insisted. I raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, maybe. But I know I did something that really upset you, and I don't feel like any apology I give you will be sincere unless I know what I did." I continued. She didn't meet my eyes. "I need to know."

She sighed and looked at me. "Alright, fine. I'll tell you."

Leo's POV

I stood in one end of the training arena, stretching and flexing in an attempt to impress Janelle. It wasn't working very well.

"That's a lot of stretching." She commented. I smirked.

"I've got a lot of muscles." I replied. She smirked.

"I'm sure they're in there somewhere." She replied just as a bell went off to signal that the fight was about to begin.

I turned to face the arena. It seemed like most of the students were piled in, all eager to see the first bionic battle. Spin was waiting on the other side, a determined look on his face.

"You're going down." The boy told me, raising his voice to be heard over the cheering and chanting of the crowd. I smirked.

"I'm gonna have to! It's the only way I can see you eye to eye." We started circling each other. Spin glared at me for the comment, then spun into a tornado, coming right at me.

Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough to avoid being hit. He knocked my feet out from under me and I hit the ground with a pained groan. "Ow!" I complained as Spin smirked down at me.

"Now you can look me right in the knee." He teased. Angry, I got to my feet. I thought I could go easy on him and still win. I mean, I didn't want to pummel the kid, just bruise his ego a bit and look good in front of Janelle. But now, I was done being Mr. Nice Guy.

"Now you're really going to get it." I growled. He wasn't intimidated though.

"You've got nothing!" He retorted confidently.

"Ah!" I charged at him, but he ducked under me. I spun around, a fire ball already in my hand and threw it at him. It missed, hitting the ground just below him, but it startled him enough that he fell to the ground, hitting his ankle on the way down.

"Leo!" Janelle exclaimed as Spin pulled his knee to his chest. Spin glared at me, hurt.

"What did you do that for?" He demanded. I stepped forward.

"To show you who's the boss!" I retorted, getting down so that I was eye-level with him. Janelle stepped out of the stands, walking over to us.

"He's just a little kid!" She snapped at me. I stared at her.

"He's not a little kid! He is three feet of evil!" I objected. I looked down at Spin, who was still holding his ankle with a pained expression. I rolled my eyes. This kid really needed to grow up. "What are you going to do? Cry?"

A second later, Spin let out a wail, clutching his ankle. "No! No, no!" I couldn't tell if he was faking it, or if he really was crying, but I hadn't actually expected to this happen. "No, no, no, don't cry!"

Janelle pushed me away from him and knelt down beside him as he cried. "How could you do that to him?" She sent me a glare before rubbing Spin's back comfortingly.

"Yeah!" Spin glared at me through what I was sure were fake tears. "I'm just a child!"

"Oh no, that is my bit!" I glared at him. "Don't you steal my bit!"

Spin glared at me before going back to his crying. "Are you happy?" Janelle demanded. "You just took down a ten year old!"

"He is not ten!" I retorted before realizing he probably was. I looked at him. "Are you ten?"

Spin sniffled loudly, and I could tell by the look on Janelle's face that she wasn't going to be leaving him any time soon. "Let me help you up." She gently helped him to his feet. "Are you okay?"

"I think so." He looked at her with big, sad eyes. "But I'm just trying to understand how someone could do that to another human being!"

"Aww!" Janelle cooed. I just stared at him, wondering how the hell he could actually pull this off. "Hey, I know what will make you feel better." Janelle continued. "How about a milkshake?"

"With sprinkles?" Spin asked hopefully. Janelle nodded.

"Yep." She agreed.

"And whipped cream?" Spin was really pushing it, but Janelle didn't mind.

"Yep." She nodded again. Spin glanced at me, then back at her.

"And love?" Okay, I was going to lose it if he continued. Even Janelle thought it was going a little far at this point.

"Sure." She agreed, making a heart with her hands. Spin smiled at her.

"Thanks for being so nice to me. It almost takes away the pain of what he did." He looked at me. Janelle pulled him into a hug. I sighed and looked at Janelle hopefully.

"I'd like a milkshake." I mentioned. She glared at me.

"No." She growled.

Kieran's POV

"So?" I asked. Calla had been quiet for a long time, clearly trying to organize her thoughts.

"Alright." She sighed. "There was this man, Victor Krane."

"Yeah, I think you mentioned him." I nodded. Calla sighed solemnly.

"He…well, he created you. All of you." She explained. "He's the one who made you and gave you bionics."

"So, he's our father?" I confirmed. She hesitated.

"I suppose so. Technically, you're right. But Kieran…" She looked at me. "He was a terrible man."

"Was." I noted. She nodded.

"Adam, Bree, and Chase killed him." She said darkly. I stared at her.

"What?" I breathed. She bit her lip, not answering me. "Calla!" I grabbed her by her shoulders. "What happened? Tell me!"

She winced as my grip on her shoulders tightened. Surprised by my own strength – I didn't have super strength, but I supposed I was a little stronger than the average human – I released her, stepping back. "S-sorry. I didn't mean…" My gaze dropped to the ground. "You caught me off guard."

"I'm sorry." Calla whispered. I looked at her. "I should have been a little more tactful about how I went with this."

"Just…start at the beginning, alright?" I asked softly. She nodded and that's exactly what she did. She started with when Adam, Bree, and Chase first met a man named Victor Krane, then she continued on to tell me how Krane had been the one to create us and had tried to use us to take over the world.

"You alright?" Calla asked when she was done. I didn't answer, still going over everything she had told me in my head. "I know it's a lot to process…"

"So this Krane guy…he's my father? And Rio's and Spin's and Sebastian's, and Bob's and everyone else's father?" I asked suddenly. Calla nodded.

"I suppose so, yeah." She looked at me with concern. By this point, we'd stopped walking and were just standing around in the middle of the sidewalk.

"…And he's dead?" I confirmed. I wasn't sure why I cared. I mean, I didn't even remember the man, and he had used us to do horrible things.

"Yeah, I…" Calla bit her lip. She was clearly out of her depth here. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "No, don't be." I told her, taking a breath. "From the sounds of it, we're all better off without him. And safer."

"He's not going to be able to hurt you guys again." She agreed, offering me a small smile. I nodded, then frowned.

"There's one thing I still don't get. Why not tell us?" I asked, confused. She sighed.

"We weren't sure how you'd guys would react. Davenport was worried that some of you might feel guilty for the things he made you do, or that you would be paranoid that we'd do the same thing. Which we wouldn't." She quickly added the last part. I nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah, you have a point." I agreed. She was looking at me, clearly trying to figure out what was going on in my head. I offered her a small smile. "Thanks for telling me the truth. Sorry for…well, you know."

"Sorry for copying the stuff from my laptop, or sorry for following me down here like a stalker?" She asked, her tone light. I laughed. "Hey, I'm serious! Totally creepy dude!"

then looked around.

"Okay, okay. Sorry. By the way, where the heck are we heading?" I asked, changing the subject. She nodded at the mall, then held up a long list of items.

"Shopping." She replied with a smirk. I was about to make a complaint when I suddenly heard Rio's voice, loud and clear.

Kieran? Testing, testing. Can you hear me, bro?

I looked around, momentarily confused. Had the ability worked? Had I actually heard Rio's voice in my mind? It didn't sound like someone talking out loud, but I couldn't be too sure.

"Kieran? What's wrong?" Calla asked, frowning at me. I shook my head at her, focusing on sending a message back to my twin.

Rio! I can't believe this actually works!

Her response was instantaneous, relief and surprise coating the words.

Neither did I. Where are you?

"Whoa…" I breathed, shocked. Calla raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, you've been standing there, staring into space for almost two minutes now. What's up?" She asked. I smirked.

"Haven't you ever heard of twin telepathy?" I teased. Her eyes widened, shocked.

Calla and I are at Mission Creek Mall. I replied back to Rio. Am I missing anything good?

"Twin telepathy?" Calla was saying, completely unaware of the conversation going on in my head. "Are you serious? Because that would be so cool! I've been trying to make comm sets that work over psychic waves, but they've never really worked. You and Rio could communicate miles apart…"

Actually, we do have a problem. Rio admitted. We lost Bob.

"You what?" I exclaimed out loud. Calla stared at me. "Sorry."

You lost Bob? I sent the message to Rio, surprised.

Well, I saw we. I really meant that Adam lost Bob. You seen him? She asked hopefully.

"Kieran?" Calla crossed her arms. I sighed.

Sorry, but we'll keep an eye out for him. I told my sister before turning to Calla.

"They may have possibly misplaced Bob." I told her. She groaned loudly.

"God, I'm so going to kill them." She muttered. "Tell Rio that we'll be there as soon as I'm done getting the things on my list."

"Got it."I nodded.

Sis? Yeah, Calla says we'll be back when she's done shopping. Oh, and tell Adam that she's probably going to kill him.

Will do. Rio agreed. Talk to you later.

"They'll keep looking." I told Calla. She nodded and started towards the mall. "So, what were you saying about how cool my telepathy was? I kinda tuned you out."

Adam's POV

An hour later and I still couldn't find Bob. Frustrated, I walked back into the main classroom, hoping the others had spotted him. Sebastian and Rio were just getting out of the hydroloop when I got there.

"Find Bob?" Sebastian asked as he and Rio walked up to me. I shook my head.

"No, but I was thinking, what if we're the ones lost and Bob's trying to find us." I offered. Bree and Chase, who'd just come up behind us, looked at me like I was a moron.

"This is a little strange, guys." I continued. "It is not like Bob to just disappear. And I should know – we've been best friends for two days."

"Hey guys?" Rio nodded at the main computer screen. "I found him."

We turned to see Bob's face on the screen. By the looks of it, he was in either an airplane or a helicopter.

"Hello?" He called. "Is this Pizza Planet?"

We stared at him, shocked. "Bob?" Chase demanded, stepping closer to the screen to get a better look at him.

"Oh!" Bob laughed. "Hey guys. Must have dialled the wrong number, but while I've got you, wanna go halfsies on a pepperoni?"

"Are you on a plane?" Chase questioned. Then his eyes widened in shock when he realized exactly where Bob was. "Is that Mr. Davenport's jet?"

"I hope so." Bob commented. "There are pictures of him all over it." He turned the camera so we could see the giant picture of Mr. Davenport in the background.

"Bob, what made you think you could take Mr. Davenport's plane?" Sebastian demanded.

"Adam said we were supposed to do all the stuff we can't do when Mr. Davenport is there." Great, so this was my fault. Everyone turned to look at me.

"I did say that." I admitted. "But in my defence, I only meant to think it."

"I was going to surprise you with your favourite pizza from Mission Creek." Bob told us, his tone apologetic."So, surprise?"

I smiled. What a great kid, so thoughtful. "Aw." I glanced at the others. "Hey, when he gets back, act surprised."

Rio rolled her eyes, then looked at the screen. "Bob, how are you even flying that thing?"

"I dunno." He replied with a shrug. Chase sighed.

"It's a self flying jet." He explained to her. "As long as he doesn't disable the autopilot, he'll be totally-"

"What does this button do?" Bob asked curiously, pressing a button. Suddenly, he started screaming, a terrified look on his face.

We watched in horror as he panicked. "What just happened?" Bree demanded. Rio shrugged.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that he disabled the autopilot." She assumed. Chase nodded.

"The plane is in a freefall." He told us. I looked at him.

"Well do something, smart guy!" I snapped at him. He nodded.

"Okay Bob." Chase stepped closer to the screen so that he could focus completely on Bob. Sebastian and Rio had moved closer to the consol, wanting to help but unable to in any way. "I need you to rotate the stick to level out the plane."

"O-okay." Bob nodded quickly, his arms moving to do as he was told. Chase nodded.

"Good." His tone was encouraging. "Now, reactivate the autopilot by pushing the two red buttons on the panel next to you."

"I don't see any red buttons." Bob's voice was tight with panic. "Only green ones."

Chase frowned, confused. "Green? There are no green buttons."

Sebastian chose that moment to speak up. "Would now be a bad time to tell you that Bob is colour-blind?"

Chase grunted in annoyance and turned to glared at me. "This is your fault!" He accused. I frowned.

"How is it my fault Bob's colour-blind?" I questioned. Chase wasn't amused.

"This is what happens when you're not a responsible mentor." He growled.

"I'm very responsible." "You're completely irresponsible!" We began to argue.

"Guys, guys." Rio tried to stop us, but it wasn't until Bree shouted that we really stopped.

"Guys!" Our sister's annoyed exclamation got us to shut up. "Stop fighting! We have to figure out a plan to save Bob before it's too late! He's our responsibility."

"She's right." Sebastian agreed. Bree smiled at him.

"Thanks for backing me up." She grinned at him appreciatively. He smirked.

"Well thanks for having such lovely hair." He shot back. She let out a surprised laugh, twirling her hair around one finger. Chase and I just exchanged looks. "Maybe I can hack into Mr. Davenport's mainframe and try to override the autopilot from here."

"That's an awesome idea." Bree nodded.

"Well thanks." Sebastian grinned, leaning against the consol to smile at her.

"Great. Now we're dealing with two disasters." He grumbled. I nodded.

"You know we could just kidnap Jaden and have him put an end to it." I offered. Chase considered it.

"We'll talk about that later." He decided.

Leo's POV

It took me a while to find Spin after the fight, but when I did, he was talking to Janelle. The boy was leaning on crutches I knew he didn't need, and taking full advantage of her kindness.

I waited until after she was gone before sneaking into the room. Not noticing me, Spin threw his crutches down. "I've got that girl trapped in the Spin-cycle." He smirked.

"What are you doing?" I questioned. His eyes widened when he caught sight of me and he immedietly reached for the crutches.

"Help, help!" He shouted. "The bad man is back!"

"You're faking!" I accused. He shrugged, holding his crutches under his arms.

"You made me look like an idiot, so now I'm going to make you look like one." His smirk grew. "But to be fair, it's not so hard."

I stared him down, about to snap at him when Janelle walked back into the room holding some food. "Janelle." I greeted her with a nod. "I think there's something you need to see."

"What now? Are you going to steal his lunch money?" She questioned. Annoyed, I grabbed one of Spin's crutches and pulled it away from him. He fell to the side, Janelle letting him lean against her body. "Leo!"

"Leo!" Spin mimicked, one hand on Janelle's shoulder. I glared at him.

"He's not really hurt. He's just using you for sympathy!" I exclaimed.

"I get it! You won the challenge, isn't that enough?" Spin demanded tearfully. I rolled my eyes, pulling his other crutch away from him. He let himself fall to the ground, Janelle staring at me like I was a monster.

"Leo, what has gotten into you?" She demanded, kneeling down beside Spin.

"I just saw him. He is fine." I insisted. "He does not need crutches."

"You're right. He doesn't." Janelle agreed. She pulled Spin's arm around her shoulder and lifted him off the floor. "Let's go, Spin. You're coming with me."

"The pain!" Spin whimpered as she carried him out. He sent me a smirk over her shoulder as they left, and I dropped the crutches, not sure how to beat him. How did you beat that level of acting?

Adam's POV

Chase and Sebastian were still working on the consol, trying to save Bob remotely, while Bree, Rio and I watched. "Hang on Bob." Chase glanced up at the screen. "We're trying to reactivate the autopilot from here."

Bob gulped. "The altitude thingy is flashing danger. What does that mean?"

"It means you're in danger!" Bree snapped. Bob frowned.

"Are we talking bad danger, or good danger?" He questioned.

"The bad kind." Rio told him. His eyes widened. "But it's all going to okay. You just need to keep calm. Can you do that?"

"M-maybe." Bob stuttered nervously. I looked at Chase and Sebastian.

"We're running out of time." I told them.

"Don't worry, I hacked into the jet." Sebastian assured me. He looked at Bree, a smirk on his lips. "All I have to do is press this button," he explained, not taking his eyes off of her, "and the autopilot will be back up in no time."

He pressed a button, but instead of Bob being saved, the screen shut off. "Uh, where did he go?" Bree asked. Sebastian looked at the screen.

"Oh no! I must have hit the wrong button!" He realized. Chase looked at him.

"Maybe because you were staring at my sister!" For some reason, when it came to Sebastian, Chase was pretty overprotective about Bree. It wouldn't be the first time one of us had been judgement and cold towards the guy she liked – in fact, Jaden was the only one we actually liked – but it was still amusing to see Chase being so defensive.

"You must have disabled communications with the jet." Rio decided, getting everyone back on topic. Suddenly, the screen just turned back on. But instead of Bob staring back at us, it was Mr. Davenport.

"Bob, what happened? You look awful!" I exclaimed. Rio hit me in the arm.

"Hi Mr. Davenport." She smiled nervously, backing up a bit.

"Any kids missing yet?" He asked with a smirk. We all exchanged looks. How could he know? "I'm kidding." He assured us.

"Right." Rio let out a laugh. "So, how's it going, sir?"

"Good, good. I just wanted to check in, make sure everything is running smoothly." His smile turned into a harsh glare. "It is running smoothly, isn't it?"

"Yep, real smooth." Chase was always the best liar out of us. He always had that honest look about him, and it was actually quite impressive how he could change the subject so easily. "I hope your anniversary's going well."

"Oh, it's great." Mr. Davenport smiled. "I just made this rosemary chicken-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Chicken, have a nice dinner." Chase quickly hung up on him, knowing that we had to get back to the crisis at hand ASAP.

Leo's POV

"Jokes over, mini-man!" I exclaimed, walking into the training area where Spin was standing with his crutches. I was holding my tablet in my arms, pointed towards him. "You need to tell Janelle the truth."

"Sure." Spin smiled at me. "I'll say whatever you want, as soon as you stop filming me with that tablet."

"What? That's ridiculous." He gave me a look, then took the table from me and slammed it against the ground. He stamped on it a couple of time before kicking it across the room. "You could have just deleted it."

Spin looked at me. "Nice try Leo. I might be faking it," he didn't notice Janelle walk up behind him, "but I've got your girlfriend wrapped around my little bionic finger."

He turned around and came face to face with my very annoyed girlfriend. "You lied to me." She said, before he could even open his mouth to defend himself.

"Lie is such a strong word…" He began. She just shook her head at him.

"I picked you up, I sang you to sleep, I fed you with a spoon!" She exclaimed. Spin looked at her, both guilty and afraid. I merely laughed.

"Oh, this is great." I smirked. "Front row seats."

Janelle sent me a look. "Oh, you're in trouble too mister." She told me.

"What did I do?" I demanded. She sighed.

"All I wanted was a relaxing vacation with my boyfriend." She told me. "But you ruined it with your little grudge match."

"At least I kicked his butt." I grumbled unhelpfully.

"Because I let you!" Spin retorted. I glared at him.

"You want to go again right now?" I demanded. He nodded.

"Yeah!" Janelle pushed us apart before we could actually fight.

"Enough!" She exclaimed. I sighed, realizing how badly I'd let her down.

"Look Janelle, I'm sorry." I apologized. "I just wanted to impress you and got a little carried away."

She nodded, accepting my apology before looking at Spin. "And you?"

He looked nervous for a moment before he started fake crying again. "My leg!"

"Seriously?" Janelle wasn't buying it this time. He sighed, dropping the act.

"Okay. I'm sorry too." He muttered. Janelle smirked.

"Good. Now that that's settled, you two are going to be my servants and give me the vacation I deserve. Smoothie, hammock, double time!"

She walked off, her head held high. Spin glanced at me. "Wow. Is she always like that?"

"No, sometimes she's mean." I admitted, letting a little of my fear enter my tone. I walked away, hoping that Adam or somebody had brought a hammock to the island.

Adam's POV

So, probably not the best idea I ever had, but since we were running out of time, I figured, what the hell? Besides, jet packing onto a moving jet actually sounded pretty fun.

Once on board, I knocked on the door to the cockpit out of politeness, then opened the door. "Hey Bob."

His face flushed with relief. "Adam? How did you get here?"

I shrugged. "Oh, I used Mr. Davenport's Jet Wing to get up here and then I used to my heat vision to cut a hole through the cargo area."

"Cool." He grinned. "Where's the Jet Wing?"

Good question. "It wouldn't fit through the hole, so I ditched it and sent it plummeting to the ground."

"That's what I would do." He agreed. I suddenly remembered why I was up here.

"Hey Bob, I've got a question for you." I grabbed his arm, looking at him in dead seriousness. "What were you thinking, taking this plane?!"

"I thought you'd think I was cool!" He protested. I let out a sigh, glaring at him half-heartedly.

"I do." I admitted, despite the dangerous situation. "Oh Bob, I can't stay mad at you. Let's land this thing and call it a day."

I settled into the co-pilot's seat, looking at the controls. "Alright. Chase said red button. Red button…" I hit a button above my seat and the plane started to descend very, very quickly. "Wrong button, wrong button!"

"What are we going to do?" Bob cried. I struggled to think.

"We're going down, we have to jump." I decided. Bob looked at me like I was crazy.

"No, we don't!" He protested.

"Yes, we do."

"No, we don't."

"Yes, we do." Why was he arguing with me about surviving?

"But I'm afraid of heights!" Bob exclaimed, fear evident on his face. I grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't worry Bob. I'll get you through it. This is nothing. And when it's over, we'll laugh about it." I assured him. "If we survive."

I pulled Bob to the back end of the plane and quickly made sure his parachute was harnessed in. "Here." I handed him mine. "Hold my parachute while I adjust yours."

I finished fiddling with the straps, making sure they were tight. "Trust me Bob. You can do this, you just have to believe in yourself."

Bob nodded shakily. "You're right. I can do this! I can do this. I CAN'T DO THIS!"

I sighed. "You CAN do this. In the past twenty-four hours, you face planted off a basketball rim and belly flopped onto a jagged coral reef. Bob, you're a beast!"

"You're right!" Bob smiled. "I'm a beast!"

I grinned. "You can do this!"

"I can do this!" He leapt off the plane, making me smile. Way to go Bob!

"That's the spirit!" I called after him. I reached for my own parachute, only to realize it wasn't there. "Hey! You took my parachute!" Without stopping to think about my actions, I leapt off the plane, freefalling through the air. It was totally awesome!

Xxx

I wasn't sure if it was luck, coincidence, or just good timing, but our landing spot happened to be my house. Specifically, the dining room. I crashed through the skylight, the table breaking my fall.

"Adam!" Mr. Davenport shouted as I stumbled to my feet. Everything hurt – no surprise there – but I supposed that we were lucky to be alive.

"Whoo-hoo!" I exclaimed, grinning. "I'm alive!"

Mr. Davenport didn't look as happy about that as I was. "Not for long!" He snapped.

"Look out below!" Bob slowly floated in, the parachute catching on the broken skylight.

"Bob!" Mr. Davenport shouted, stunned.

"Oh, hey Mr. Davenport." He greeted. He sniffed the air. "Is that rosemary chicken?"

"It was!" Wow, he was really pissed off at us. After we quickly explained what had happened, he had grumbled an apology to Tasha and drove us to the hydroloop, picking up both Calla and Kieran on the way.

No one said anything on the way back, mainly because we were afraid Mr. Davenport would start screaming at us. Not that Calla or Kieran did anything wrong, they just didn't want to start a fight.

The second we were back, Sebastian, Rio and Kieran left, leaving only me, Chase, Bree, Calla and Bob in the room.

"I am never leaving you guys in charge again." Mr. Davenport told us, his tone full of disappointment and anger. I glanced at the others. Calla hadn't even been here, and all Chase and Bree had done was try to help. It wasn't their fault.

"Mr. Davenport, it's not their fault. It's mine." He looked surprised, but didn't stop me. "I was goofing off, and the students thought it was okay to goof off too. I should have been a better mentor."

"Actually," Bob spoke up, "Adam was a good mentor."

"He was?" Mr. Davenport questioned.

"He was?" Chase repeated. I looked at Bob.

"I was?" Even I didn't think I did a good job. But Bob just nodded.

"Yeah, when I was up in the jet, I didn't want to jump. But Adam boosted my confidence and helped me conquer my fear of heights."

"Wow." Mr. Davenport actually looked impressed. "I'm impressed Adam."

"Never thought I'd hear those three words together." Bree commented. Calla frowned.

"Wait, one question. Why did you jump?" She looked at me. "You do know that it has an emergency landing beacon that allows it to land automatically, even with the autopilot disabled, right?"

I did not know that, actually. "So we jumped for nothing?" Bob demanded, turning to me. I frowned.

"Wait, does your Jet Wing land itself too?" I asked. Mr. Davenport glared at me, realizing where this was going.

"No…" He glared at me, so Calla decided to intervene.

"Mr. Davenport, I do need to talk to you about our chef problem. Well, our lack of chef problem, actually." She grabbed his arm and started pushing him into the other room. She looked over her shoulder. "By the way Adam, that telescope you wanted me to get you should be in the third bag. Mind giving Leo his Tecton comic books for me while you're at it?"

"Sure." I replied. I looked at Bob. "But first, wanna have a belly flop contest?"


	36. Unauthorized Mission

Bree's POV

Oh, Saturdays. I loved Saturdays. They were easily my favourite day of the week, and that had not changed since I came to the academy. Mr. Davenport had arranged the schedules so that everyone could sleep in longer on the weekends and so that instead of us teaching classes all day, we each would only have to teach a couple sometime in the afternoon. Both the students and mentors appreciated this because fewer classes meant that we all had a lot more free time.

So as a result, I was in a fairly good mood when I made my way into the cafeteria around 9 in the morning. I immediately noticed a big change the second I walked through the doors. The smell of fresh-cooked breakfast filled the air, and I don't mean the cold cereal we've all been surviving on all week. No, the air was thick with the smell of cooking bacon and maple syrup.

As it turns out, I wasn't the only one drawn to the sweet scents floating around the cafeteria. Calla, Chase, Adam, Leo, and Kieran had dragged a couple of tables together and were sitting near the front of the room, talking quietly among themselves. As I walked towards them, I could see that they each had a plate of toast, waffles, or, in Calla's case, crepes. "Hey guys." I sat down beside them. "Where'd you get the food? 'Cause no offense, but none of you know how to cook."

"I know how to cook!" Calla protested, digging into her meal. Chase rolled his eyes.

"Calla, being able to make Mac and Cheese without burning it doesn't count as cooking." He told her. She gave him a pointed look.

"A, it so does." She turned to me. "B, I convinced Davenport to hire a chef."

She had a smirk on her face, and I looked at her suspiciously. She was never that chipper in the mornings – and the smirk was starting to creep me out a bit.

"Really, who is it?" I asked. They all exchanged looks, placing their forks down.

"Why don't you go see?" Kieran suggested, gesturing at the kitchen. They were all smirking now. I stood up, frowning.

"…Alright." I walked towards the kitchen, pushing open the swinging door and stepping inside. "Hello?"

There was a moment of silence, leading me to believe that maybe the chef had stepped out for a moment. And then an all too familiar voice came from behind me. "Hey Princess, you miss me?"

My breath caught in my throat as I spun around to face the tall, brown haired boy. "JADEN!" I screamed, jumping up and wrapping my arms around his neck. He reacted instinctively, holding me up against his body as he pressed his lips hungrily against mine.

"I missed you." He breathed between kisses. I ran my fingers through his hair.

"God, I love you." I whispered back. He grinned.

"I know." He replied, pulling away and setting me down on my feet. I gave him a look. "Yeah, I love you too, princess."

I opened my mouth to reply, only to be cut off by Leo's impatient call. "Hey, are you two done making out in there?"

"Not yet. Ask again in ten minutes!" Jaden replied instantly, kissing me again. I let out a small laugh before taking his hand and following him into the cafeteria. Adam, Leo and Kieran were digging into their wallets, pulling out twenties. With glares, they handed the cash to Calla.

"You made bets?" I gave Calla a stern look, but she was unfazed.

"Yeah, on whether Bree would be stunned into silence, or if she would scream your name. I won." She replied, counting the cash.

"Hey, if you're going to be on our relationship, don't you think we deserve a cut?" Jaden asked. She thought about it, then held out a twenty.

"Here's your cut." She told me. Jaden looked at her.

"What about me?" He asked. Calla smirked.

"I got you this job. Don't push your luck, Jay." She retorted, but slid closer to Chase so we could have a place to sit.

"Okay, question." Kieran looked at Jaden. "Since when can you cook?"

"Mom usually works late, so when we were younger, I was in charge of making dinner for Calla and I. And she is one hell of a picky eater." He added, earning a half-hearted glare from his sister.

"So you're working here full time now?" I asked hopefully. Jaden nodded.

"Yep. You're stuck with me." He kissed me lightly on the nose.

"Someone better tell Sebastian that." Leo muttered. Jaden frowned.

"Who's Sebastian?" He asked. Before I could answer, my phone started buzzing, along with Calla, Leo, Chase, and Adam's phones.

"Mission alert." Calla explained, getting up with the rest of us. I kissed Jaden quickly as I stood up.

"I'll see you later?" He called. I smiled back at him.

"Count on it." I promised as we ran into the main classroom. Sebastian was already waiting.

"What's going on? The monitor said there was a mission?" He asked confused. Chase nodded, already grabbing a bag from the storage closet. Leo looked at me.

"I'm going to go get dressed into my mission suit." He told me. Adam followed him out of the room.

"Yeah, power failure at a major hospital due to an earthquake." Calla read the details off of the screen. Sebastian frowned.

"Sounds bad, can I help?" He offered. I hesitated.

"Chase?" He was mission leader after all. He frowned.

"I don't know…" He began. Calla nodded though.

"I think he should." She mentioned before quickly explaining. "Look, somebody needs to be at a computer in case something goes wrong, and Davenport made that rule last week about one mentor being here at all times. Sebastian should take my spot in the field – he could use the experience."

Chase looked at her, thinking it over, then nodded. "Yeah, okay."

"Good, I'll set the coordinates in the hydroloop." Before Calla even touched the computer though, she grabbed her mission suit jacket out of the storage bag and pulled it on. We all gave her a look. "What? This thing is awesome."

Rolling our eyes, Chase and I quickly got changed, then filed into the hydroloop with Adam, Leo, and Sebastian.

Sebastian's POV

So the mission was crap. I got to do absolutely nothing, unless you count standing by and observing as Adam, Bree, Chase, and Leo got to play hero. Even Calla did more than me, sending information on the damage to the hospital's foundation to Chase wirelessly.

We got back about three hours after we left, and apparently, I was the only one in a bad mood. "Nice work guys." Calla greeted us, her mission jacket still on. Chase nodded in agreement.

"That mission was a total success." He agreed. Adam frowned.

"Maybe for you, but nothing caught on fire or blew up. To me, colossal failure."

Leo looked at him. "Well, good news. You've got heat vision and a whole afternoon ahead of you. Go make something happen."

Adam grinned, but was interrupted by Bob before he could answer. "Hey Adam." The young boy was holding part of a boogie board. The back end of it looked like a large bite had been taken out of it. "Check it out. While you were gone, I got to boogie board with the dolphins."

Adam chuckled, noticing the bite marks. "Oh, Bob." He sighed. "Those weren't dolphins. These are clearly the bites of an angry catfish."

"Wow." Bob tucked the destroyed board back under his arm. "Is there anything you don't know?"

Bree and I watched this exchange before glancing at each other. "I don't think we should let those two play together anymore."

"Uh-uh." I agreed with her, starting towards the desk where Calla and Chase were comparing information. "Hey Chase, on the next mission, do you think I might actually be able to do something?"

Chase looked confused. "Well you did get to do something. You watched me be an amazing mission leader. Most people would pay to see that."

"And then demand a refund." Calla added, not looking up from the IPad in her hands. I sighed and looked back at Chase.

"I'm just saying that the whole purpose of me going on a mission was to get some hands-on training." I continued.

"And you did." Chase told me, his tone slightly patronizing. "You handed me my flashlight and my lip balm. Thank you."

I let out a frustrated sigh. He just wasn't getting it. "But I'm the best student here!" I protested. "I've been acing all of my training exercises! Without practice, how am I ever going to be Mission Leader?"

"Oh, that's just it. You won't." Chase replied. "Because I'm Mission Leader."

"Yeah." Adam put his hands on our shoulders. "Dude, you can't be mission leader too, because then I would have to make fun of both of you and there just aren't enough hours in the day. I need some me time."

"Chase, stop being such a control freak." Bree scolded her brother. "Sebastian seems perfectly capable."

"Aw, thanks." Bree had been in a really good mood on the mission, and I had hoped that it was because I had been allowed to come. The way she was defending me now seemed to agree with my conclusion.

"My pleasure." She replied with a kind smile. Before I could reply with some cheesy one-liner to make her laugh, the doors opened and a tall, brown haired boy walked in. The only reason he stood out from the rest of us was that instead of a student or mentor uniform, he wore a pair of black pants and a white long sleeved shirt.

"Back from the mission already? How'd it go?" He asked, opening his arms. In an instant, Bree had left my side and was standing in front of the boy, a wide grin on her face.

"It was great." She replied. She looked at him. "By the way, did anyone give you a tour of this place yet?"

"Are you offering?" The boy grinned at her. She smirked.

"Let's go." She grabbed his hand, kissing him on the lips quickly before starting to pull him down the hall. "See you guys later!" She called over her shoulder.

I just stared at the scene, shocked. Who the hell was that guy? And did she really just kiss him? What was going on here?!

Before I could voice any of this out loud, we all heard Bob shout. "Adam, look! I'm riding an angry catfish!"

Adam laughed, pointing out the window. "Look at him go!" He exclaimed, before looking at us. "Yeah, that is not a catfish."

Eyes widening, Chase, Leo and Adam ran out of the room. Calla went to follow, but skidded to a stop when she realized I wasn't coming. "Sebastian?"

"Bree has a boyfriend." I said simply. She sighed, stepping towards me.

"Yeah. My brother, Jaden. They've been dating for nearly eight months now." She replied. I nodded, thinking. She gave me a sympathetic smile. "No one told you?"

"Nope." I shook my head before trudging down the hall, a little down. But really, this wasn't going to change much. It just meant that I was going to have to try a little harder to gain Bree's affections.

Rio's POV

I watched boredly as Chase flipped Leo over his shoulder in training. Class was going by slowly today, and with Adam busy playing basketball with his jock friends, I was going crazy with boredom.

Then things finally got interesting when Spin stormed into the room. Not only was it adorable to see a ten year old so pissed off, but I figured that listening in on whatever argument was about to begin would be better than just sitting here, messing around with the weights.

"Hey!" The little boy walked straight up to Chase. "I just heard that Leo got to go on a mission! Why'd he get picked and not me?"

"Well Spin," Chase began calmly, not at all fazed by the anger in Spin's voice, "Leo and Sebastian both excelled in their training this week. Plus, Mr. Davenport considered many other factors, including experience, bionic abilities, social dynamics-"

"Too short, too young. Bye-bye." Leo patted Spin on the head patronizingly. I stood up, coming to the boy's defence.

"Leo, be nice." I warned, just as Mr. Davenport walked in. Spin walked up to him, clearly upset.

"Mr. Davenport, do you think I'm too young to go on missions?" He asked. Mr. Davenport nodded.

"Yes, and too short. I thought Leo covered this." He replied.

"But Leo always brags about how you sent him on a mission when he was young to stop a runaway train!" Spin protested. Mr. Davenport looked amused.

"Uh, yeah, technically, he wasn't sent. He snuck on the train." He corrected.

"But I was there." Leo pointed out. "And I was awesome."

"Sure you were Leo, sure you were." I replied. He rolled his eyes at me, and the conversation was brought back to Spin.

"Look Spin, just focus on your training and eventually your time will come." Mr. Davenport assured the younger boy.

"This isn't fair!" Spin protested. "I'm never going to get to go on a mission!"

He ran out of the room, clearly upset. Mr. Davenport just smiled at us. "See how I handled that? These kids are so lucky to have me."

I raised an eyebrow at that. Really? "Too old, too vain. Bye-bye." Leo told him. I nodded my agreement and ran in Spin's direction. I found him in the hall, arms crossed and glaring at the floor.

"It's not fair." He mumbled upon seeing me. I nodded.

"I know, kiddo." I agreed. I looked over my shoulder to see Davenport talking to Leo. "If you want, I could help you train."

"Really?" Spin looked surprised. "Shouldn't you be flirting with Adam?"

"Is it that obvious that I like him?" I questioned. Not waiting for an answer – I already knew what it was – I shook my head. "Anyway, training. Yes or no?"

"Sure." Spin grinned at me and together we headed towards and empty classroom to work on our abilities.

Bree's POV

"I have to admit Davenport, this place is pretty sick." Jaden commented, walking with me back into the main classroom with the hydroloop. The room was basically empty, with the exception of Mr. Davenport, who was doing mission reports, and Kieran, who was sitting by the window, too caught up in a book to even notice we were there.

"Well, this academy is my greatest achievement." Mr. Davenport agreed, looking around with a smile. "Out of all the things I've built, this is the thing I'm most proud of."

Suddenly, the hydroloop doors opened up. And although I expected students, or Calla and my brothers to get out, it was something much, much worse.

"Morning Don, morning girl, morning jock, morning nerd." She greeted, her frustratingly annoying voice even grabbing Kieran's attention.

We all stared at her in horror for a moment before Davenport turned to the three of us. "The island is contaminated. Get everyone to the life boats. We can blow it up – I wasn't that attached to it anyways." He said quickly. Kieran walked up to us, his book tucked under his arm.

"Perry? How did you get on the hydroloop?" He questioned, sounding very afraid. And I didn't blame him – we thought we'd finally rid ourselves of Perry.

"I dated the security guard for three weeks to gain his trust." She replied, grinning. "And when that didn't work, I knocked him out and stole his keys."

Mr. Davenport stared at her. "How much ocean do we have to put between us to get away from you?" He demanded, annoyed.

"Ain't enough water in the world." Perry wasn't fazed by his anger. "My webbed toes double as flippers. When I spread them out, they look like baby pterodactyls."

"Why are you here?" Jaden finally asked the most obvious question.

"I retired." She admitted, to our surprise. "The school just wasn't the same without my favourite freaks to torment. I tried, but I just couldn't hate the new kids as much as I hate you guys."

I almost felt touched by that.

Perry looked at Mr. Davenport. "Anywho, a little birdie told me your little school is looking for an administrator."

"Yeah, we're not." He replied instantly. "But tell you what. Leave your résumé and we'll call you if we lose our minds."

"How about a gardener?" Perry suggested.

"No."

"Cook?"

"No."

"Unlicensed therapist?"

"No!"

Perry sighed. "Look, I'm bored and I want to get back in the game. Just tell me what you need. I could be your barber." She looked at my long hair. "Nobody likes a pretty girl with long hair."

I pulled my hair out of her reach as she started to make cutting motions at it. "Okay, the only thing we need is a security guard to keep people like you out." Kieran muttered. Perry latched onto his words immediately.

"Yes! I could be your Head of Security!" She exclaimed. "I've been a warden, a guard…any position in jail, I've held it. Including inmate."

"Sorry Cell-Block Sally, we're not hiring." Mr. Davenport pushed her into the hydroloop, pressing a button to get it going. We watched as it sped away. Unfortunately though, part of Perry's shirt must have gotten caught, the blue piece of fabric hanging from the doors loosely as its owner disappeared.

"Her shirt got stuck!" I exclaimed. We all grimaced at the thought of the sight people would have when Perry arrived on shore.

"Yeah, that's the mainland's problem now." Mr. Davenport decided, walking away from that.

Sebastian' POV

"This is ridiculous!" I heard Mr. Davenport exclaim as I walked into the room with Chase. We'd been discussing the possibility of setting up some practice missions on the island – Spin had seemed pretty disappointed about not going on the last one – but we'd decided to see what was going on when Mr. Davenport's class suddenly left the training room.

"What is?" Chase asked, walking up to his father.

"There are too many kids here for me to train them all at the same time!" He exclaimed. "And I don't want a single student to be denied the Donald Davenport experience."

"You mean the Bionic Academy experience." Bree corrected.

"No, you mean the Bionic Academy experience." Davenport retorted. Chase chuckled.

"Hey, maybe I can design a new virtual training simulator. Each group could take turns using it." He suggested. I looked at Bree and smirked.

"Or even better, I could design one that would allow every student to train at the same time." I suggested. If I could pull that off, Bree would definitely be impressed. I mean, I had to be smarter than that dumb chef, right?

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Chase quickly tried to shoot down my idea. "If anyone's going to design this thing, it's gonna be me."

"Control freak!"Bree sang from behind him. I bit back a laugh, smiling at her. She was so funny. And pretty.

Mr. Davenport quickly stepped between Chase and I. "How about this? You guys design it, together. After all, two minds are better than one. Unless of course, it's my mind."

Bree looked at that. "And after that, maybe you could build something that will shrink his ego."

"Bree, there's no machine in the world that can do that." Mr. Davenport pointed out. "But if anyone could build it, it would be me."

And with that final, egotistical note, he walked away.

Rio's POV

Spin and I trained for a good hour before we had to stop out of exhaustion. Man, that kid could move really fast! But it wasn't like he was getting any hits in – any time he got close, I'd just use my intangibility or 'go ghost girl' like Adam jokingly calls it.

When we were done, we headed past the main classroom on our way to the cafeteria for smoothies.

"Hey Bob." Spin smiled at his friend as we passed him. "What are you doing?"

"Drawing a self portrait." He replied. We both looked down at his tablet.

"That's just a butt." Spin pointed out. Bob shrugged.

"I've gotta start somewhere." He replied. I let out a small laugh.

"Hey, did you want to come get smoothies with us? We were just-" I was cut off by a loud alarm coming from the main computer.

"Whoa, a mission alert." Spin exclaimed. He ran forward and touched the screen to get the details of the mission.

"What's it say?" Bob asked, putting his tablet down.

"A dam broke and a group of hunters got caught in a flash flood." He replied. I nodded.

"I'll get Mr. Davenport, Adam, and the others." I offered, begging to head back down the hall.

"No wait!" Spin's desperate voice made me stop. I turned in place and watched as he quickly erased the mission from the screen.

"What are you doing?" I demanded. Bob nodded.

"Why would you delete a mission alert?" He questioned.

"Because we are going on that mission." Spin decided. I crossed my arms.

"No way, uh-uh." I replied. Bob nodded his agreement.

"I'm not getting in trouble…again." He agreed.

"Rio, Bob and I are the youngest guys here. Until we prove ourselves, no one's going to take us seriously." He pleaded with me. Bob looked at him.

"Look at us; can you blame them?" He demanded. Spin sighed.

"Rio?" He looked at me. "Please. I just want to prove that I'm not the weakest one in the academy."

"Spin…" I sighed. There was no convincing this kid. "Fine. But I'm coming with you."

"Really?" His smile lit up his whole face. I nodded.

"I'm not letting you go alone." I replied. Bob backed away from us.

"Well, leave me out of it." He told us. I sent him a too-innocent smile, the same smile I gave Kieran when I wanted him to do something for me.

"Bob, have I told you about this great restaurant Calla told me about? It's right by a broken damn and I hear they have the best burgers in town." I offered. He hesitated.

"I don't know…" He trailed off. I forced my smile to grow.

"They let you draw butts on the place mats." I lied. His eyes lit up.

"Let's go!" And with that, we all bundled into the hydroloop.

Sebastian's POV

"Alright. A few more tweaks and we should be done." Chase and I had gathered a bunch of students to help us finish the virtual simulator, and with their aid, we were pretty much done our task. "I have to admit," I looked up from the object in my hands as Chase walked up to me, "this is working out way better than I thought."

"I know." I agreed. "I figured you were going to ignore me and do all the work yourself."

"And I thought you were going to be totally incompetent!" Chase replied. We laughed together for a minute before another one of my fellow students went flying across the room, landing right next to us with a thud.

Adam walked over, laughing. "What are you doing?" Chase demanded, helping the boy up.

"Trying to see if Carter here has the ability to fly." Adam replied. "So far, the answer is no."

He pushed Carter away while we glared at him. "Can you do that somewhere else?" Chase demanded grumpily. "We're working here."

Adam looked a little peeved. "Fine." He walked away, back to Carter.

I turned back to Chase. "Okay, where were we?"

Before he could respond, Carter was thrown through the air again, this time bumping into Chase. He stumbled slightly, but was able to keep his footing just barely.

"Adam, I thought I told you to do that somewhere else!" Chase shouted, pissed off.

"Yeah. You know, I thought about that, and then I just decided to ignore you." Adam replied with a smirk. He patted Carter on the arm, then they both walked back to their group.

"C'mon Sebastian." Chase grabbed a couple of things in his arms. "Let's move our stuff before one of those idiots break it."

Almost as soon as he said that, Adam flew across the room, hitting Chase right in the back. He hit the ground, the things in his arms sliding across the floor.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, angry and surprised. Chase got to his feet, holding a broken piece of the simulator.

"Adam!" He was really ticked off now. "Look what you did!"

"Hey, don't blame me! Blame Carter." Adam retorted. "He can't fly, but he sure can throw!"

They all walked away laughing, much to our annoyance. "Can you believe him?" Chase complained. "He just ruined all of our hard work."

"Don't worry Chase, we can fix this." I assured him, already coming up with a plan in my mind. "And when we're done, we're gonna need someone to test it on. And I think it's time we give Adam a taste of his own medicine."

Chase picked up on what I was saying immediately, a grin coming to his face. "Where have you been all my life?" He asked, high-fiving me as we set to work.

Bree's POV

"So, I was thinking that, after classes…" I was sitting with Jaden at the computer desk in the main lounge area, our fingers entwined as we ignored the rest of the students. "I could show you the outdoor observation platform. It's really cool."

"Sounds fun." He grinned back. He leaned in for a kiss just as Mr. Davenport walked up to us.

"Hey, you guys busy?" He asked.

"Kinda." I replied, not looking away from Jaden. Damn, I missed those sensitive brown eyes of his.

"Well, too bad." Mr. Davenport dragged us back to his problem. "I need you guys to help me test the new video conferencing system."

"Fine. You call us." Jaden grabbed a tablet with his spare hand, his other not leaving my grip.

"Here we go." Mr. Davenport pressed a button. Instead of his face showing up on the tablet though, it was Perry's.

"You rang?" She grinned at us.

"TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OFF!" I screamed, pushing the tablet away from us.

"How'd you break into my secure line?" Mr. Davenport demanded.

Suddenly, Perry popped out from behind a column, sporting a new floral shirt. "Better question is, how did I get into your equipment room to steal this?" She pulled a helmet off her head, showing us the camera on the front of it. Mr. Davenport pulled it away from her, glaring. But she wasn't done. "Or into your bedroom to steal this?"

She whipped out his old black and white cheetah print PJs, the ones we thought we'd seen the last of. "That is island-wear." Mr. Davenport snatched it back from her.

"Man, that's not island-wear, that's just ugly." Kieran commented, walking up to us. "And who let her back on the island?"

"Certainly not us." Jaden replied, his arms crossed.

"Still think you don't need a head of security?" Perry asked.

"No." Mr. Davenport replied harshly. "A couple of more tweaks and I'll have this place locked down tight. And then we will never see you again." He looked at us. "Guys, any parting words?"

"Yes. Get out." I said, watching as Jaden and Kieran both pushed her into the hydroloop.

"But you need me!" Perry whined. Jaden snorted in amusement.

"No, we don't." He replied, closing the hydroloop doors and hitting the buttons to send her back to the mainland. Once again, her shirt got caught in the doors and stayed behind as she left.

"Really?" Mr. Davenport complained. "She needs to start wearing tighter clothes."

Even as he said that, he realized how horrible an idea that was. "No she doesn't." The four of us agreed at once.

Rio's POV

Spin, Bob, and I trekked through the dense forest behind the damn, their shoes and my boots (what? A girl needs to accessorize) squishing in the mud.

"I can't believe those rescue workers got to the hunters before we did." Spin muttered dejectedly. He had really been looking forward to proving himself.

"I can't believe we can't find that restaurant." Bob muttered. I smirked.

"I can't believe you still think we're looking for it." I replied back. He shrugged, not really caring either way.

"This is so frustrating!" Spin cried out. He climbed onto a nearby rock "If I don't complete a mission, I'll never prove myself!"

"Spin…" I began, then broke off as I realized something. Either he was getting taller, or Bob and I were getting much, much shorter. I looked down and to my horror, realized that I was knee-high in mud. "We have bigger problems, kiddo."

Frowning, Spin turned towards us. Both Bob and I were stuck in the mud…no, quicksand. It had to be quicksand.

"Is that quicksand?" Spin demanded. I nodded.

"I think so." I shifted the best I could in my position, but my feet were already too deep to pull out. Every attempt I made just seemed to bring me lower into the mud, so I decided to quit while I was ahead…er, while my pants were only partially ruined by the filth.

I noticed that Bob was sinking much faster than me though, and by this point, he was already down to his armpits. "Bob, stop struggling. You'll only make it worse." I told him, trying to remain calm.

"Try using your levitation ability." Spin suggested. Bob nodded.

"Good idea." He focused for a moment, making loud grunting noises.

"Stop!" I exclaimed, my hands reaching towards my ears. "Even if it works, I don't want to hear that anymore."

"What about your intangibility, Rio?" Spin asked hesitantly, looking down at us from the rock. I nodded thoughtfully, activating the ability. However, as I started to sink at a much faster pace, I stopped. After only using it for a few short seconds, I was up to my arm pits in the quicksand.

"Well that was a terrible idea." I muttered. I looked at Spin. "Look, I can't reach my phone, so you use yours to call for help." I told him.

"No!" He snapped quickly. "I can rescue you guys myself. Just close your eyes – I'm going to try and spin you guys out." Closing my eyes tightly, I waited for that plan to epically fail. And it did, Spin's legs getting caught in the quicksand. He ended up stuck in the mud right next to us, standing just a little higher than us. "Oops."

"Now can you call Leo for help?" I asked. He sighed.

"Can't you call Kieran with your Spock Vulcan mind magic thingy?" He asked. "Leo's only going to mock us."

"Fine." I nodded, closing my eyes.

Kieran? I called hesitantly, unsure if it work from this distance. But when he responded, his voice was crystal clear in my head.

What Rio? He sounded frustrated. Kinda busy here.

Since it was so unlike him to be so short with me, I frowned. Busy doing what? Because I could use your help.

I'm trying to keep an evil, possibly cannibalistic, leprechaun off the island! He snapped. I frowned and looked at Spin.

"Call Leo." I told him. "Kieran's gone off the deep end."

"Fine." Spin muttered, pulling out his phone. He dialled a few numbers then held it up to his ear. "Leo, it's Spin. It's a long story, but Rio, Bob, and I left the island, and we need your help…Just hurry!"

"Well?" I asked as he hung up.

"He said he'll be right there." He told me. I nodded.

"So, now all we have to do is wait." And wait we did.

Sebastian's POV

"You ready?" I asked Chase. He nodded and I walked over to Adam, a large smile plastered on my face. "Hey Adam. How would you like to be the first to test out our new bionic training simulator?"

"You want me to be your human guinea pig?" He questioned. I shrugged.

"I was going to say lab rat, but yeah." I replied bluntly. He grinned.

"I'm in!" He pulled on the vest and goggles with no hesitation. What an idiot.

"The goggles will sync with your bionic chip to give you the ultimate sensory experience." I explained, helping Chase set up the vest.

"Anything that happens in the virtual world will feel totally real." Chase added.

"What's the vest for?" He asked. Chase and I exchanged grins.

"That part's a surprise." He replied. Adam grinned.

"I love surprises." He told us. I chuckled. He wouldn't like surprises after this.

I pressed a button on the main consol for the device and watched as Adam looked around in amazement. "It looks like I'm in a jungle."

Chase and I grinned. It was working. "And what do you feel?"

"I feel like I'm in the jungle with you talking to me." Okay, I should have expected that one. Then Chase pressed the button that would send out our little surprise.

"Aw look!" Adam cooed, reaching out to pet the head of an invisible animal. "It's a cute, little monkey."

It wasn't very cute for long. "Aw, and he's holding a cute little bazooka." Adam noticed. Then he stepped back, away from the virtual monkey. "Wait, why is he holding a bazooka?"

I hit a button on the consol and Adam ducked down fast. "Ahh! He shot at me! That's it, I'm going to use my heat vision."

"That doesn't work in a virtual world." Chase pointed out as I pressed another button.

Adam looked around in horror. "Oh no, the monkey called for back up. Now there's a ton of them. Ow!" He flinched backwards as he was continuously shot at by the monkeys. "Ah, they got me! Man, that didn't feel virtual at all."

"Wait until you feel this!" Chase exclaimed, hitting buttons quickly. Adam flinched and grunted in pain each time one of the monkeys attacked him, leaving me and Chase and I laughing our heads off.

"Wait, does this thing have any weapons I can use?" Adam demanded.

"Of course." I replied, smirking.

"Thank God." Adam sighed in relief.

"But unfortunately, those are sold separately." Chase added. Adam spun to face us.

"WHAT?!" He demanded before being hit again by the monkeys. God, this was way too much fun.

Bree's POV

"Okay." Mr. Davenport finally climbed out of the hydroloop after a half hour of working on it. By this point, Jaden, Kieran and I were the only ones left in the room due to everyone else's impatience. "I've reset the security settings."

"So the island is finally on lockdown? Nobody in, nobody out?" I confirmed. He nodded.

"Yep. And I control it all with this one remote." He reached into his pocket to show us the remote, but came up empty. "You lost it?" Kieran questioned incredulously. Mr. Davenport sent him a glare.

"No." He snapped just as that annoying voice hit our ears once more.

"Yoo-hoo!" We spun around to see Perry sitting on a rope outside the window, the remote in her spare hand. "Looking for this."

"I have to admit it," Jaden sighed, shaking his head at her. "She is pretty persistent."

Rio's POV

Leo was taking far too long for my liking. By the time anyone actually showed up, Spin, Bob, and I were already up to our necks in quicksand.

"What's taking Leo so long?" Spin demanded, his tone betraying his frustration.

"Maybe he got stuck in quicksand too." Bob replied. I shrugged, well I tried too. The mud made it hard.

"He probably got lost." I decided.

"Well you guys weren't exactly easy to find." Calla complained, stepping out from the bushes with Leo. Both of them were careful not to touch the pool of quicksand in any way, instead sticking to the edge of the clearing.

"Well, well, well." Leo smirked. I looked over my shoulder at Calla.

"I hope you guys got a plan." I commented. She nodded.

"Don't worry." She assured me. Leo nodded.

"Yeah, but first things first." He pulled out his phone and dropped to his knees beside us, taking a selfie. He laughed, standing back up. "I'm sorry, but this is hilarious."

Calla crossed her arms, carefully walking over to stand by Leo. "What are you guys even doing here?"

"Well, we got a mission alert about-" Spin began, but broke off when he saw the looks on Calla and Leo's face.

"Mission alert?" Calla repeated.

"You three went on a mission alone? Why would you do that?" Leo demanded.

"Well I was promised a fine dining experience." Bob defended himself. I shrugged.

"I came to keep these bozos out of trouble." I explained. Calla raised an eyebrow at that.

"Well you're doing a fine job." She commented sarcastically. She glanced down at Spin. "And you?"

He sighed. "I just wanted to prove that I was ready to go on missions. Just like you guys did."

Leo sighed. "The only difference is, I was awesome and you're stuck in mud. Ow!" He turned to glare at Calla as she kicked him in the back. She returned the look with an even more frightening glare, causing Leo to shrink back slightly. He turned back to us. "Alright, I get it. But just like Big D said, focus on your training. Trust me, you'll get there."

"Thanks Leo." Spin smiled up at him. I rolled my eyes.

"Look, if we're done with the whole touchy-touchy feelings moment, can you get us out of here?" I questioned, starting to grow impatient. Leo got to his feet and looked around.

"I got an idea." Calla told him, nodding at a small tree. Leo picked up on what she was thinking right away and grabbed the tree trunk and lifting it out of the ground with ease. We watched it warily.

"What are you doing with that?" Spin questioned. Bob shut his eyes fearfully.

"I think they're going to put us out of our misery." He whimpered. I shook my head at him.

"I'm pretty sure that Mr. Davenport might kill them for that." I pointed out. Calla laughed.

"Maybe, you never know." She smiled. "And we're not going to hurt you, Bob."

"We're not?" Leo looked confused. "Then why'd I grab this?"

"Leo's going to use the tree branch as a lever to push you guys out from below." Calla explained, sending a warning look at said boy. He nodded and pushed the stick into the mud. Then when we was sure it was tucked safely under our arms, he backed up and pushed down on one end of the branch.

To our genuine surprise, the plan actually worked. In no time, Spin, Bob, and I were out of the mud and standing on dry land. "You saved us!" Bob exclaimed, jumping to his feet. Spin and I followed him, looking down at the pit.

"That was awesome." Spin grinned. I, however, was horrified.

"God, I look like a mess." I complained. Calla smirked.

"That's the problem about going on missions – you never come out of them spotless." She went to pat my mud covered shoulder, but evidently thought better of it. "Come on. You can get cleaned up back at the academy."

"Oh no!" Spin suddenly exclaimed. "I lost my phone!"

"I'll get it!" Bob offered, and before we could stop him, he leapt into the quicksand puddle. When he got stuck once again, he looked at us. "Oops."

Spin turned to Calla and Leo. "Can't we just leave him here?" He asked hopefully.

"I'm thinking about it." Leo muttered.

Sebastian's POV

The Adam torture went on for a long, long time. And it was awesome, I have to admit. Besides, it was pretty much the first time in a long time that Chase and I actually got along.

Eventually though, Adam left the room, apparently running from virtual lava.

"That was awesome!" Chase exclaimed, high-fiving me. "We work pretty well together."

"Yeah we do." I agreed. "You might even say we're becoming…friends."

Chase looked impressed by that. "Yeah, which is pretty weird considering that you and the others tried to kill us." He commented. I frowned, confused.

"You know, I still haven't gotten that whole story." I mentioned, trying to think past the blanks in my memory. "What actually happened?"

Chase looked hesitant to tell me, but did anyway. "Well," his smile faded, "I'm probably not supposed to say anything, but…the guy who created you was pure evil."

Our dad was evil? How could that be? "His name was Victor Krane." Chase continued. "He controlled your minds and he made you his bionic soldiers."

I frowned. "Why would he do that if he was our father?"

"It was all part of his twisted plan to build a superior bionic race." Chase explained. A superior bionic race? Was it really that bad of an idea though? I mean, out of all the humans I'd met so far, the only decent ones I'd seen were Calla and Davenport.

"The only way to stop him was to take him out." That made me freeze. Hold on, my father was…he was dead? I stared at Chase, wide-eyed. "So we did what we had to do?"

He killed my father. Bree and Adam helped him kill my father. I mean…whoa. "…Wow." I murmured, knowing that Chase was waiting for a reaction.

"Yeah." He nodded solemnly, completely unaware of all the thoughts swirling around my head. "But at least you're safe now."

Safe? Did he really think that was the part I was focusing on? I mean, if they killed my father, how did we know they wouldn't eventually turn on us? "Yeah." I muttered half-heartedly. "I guess I'm just lucky that Mr. Davenport was nice enough to take us in."

Chase nodded, opening his mouth to say something else, but he never got the chance. Adam ran in, his arms flailing. "They're still after me! I can't take it anymore! Shut it off, shut it off!" He ran straight into the nearest wall, earning a laugh from Chase. "Ow! That wall felt so real!"

Rio's POV

Unfortunately for us, any attempt to sneak back into the Academy unnoticed failed the second we stepped out of the hydroloop. It was almost as if Mr. Davenport was waiting for us.

"Where were you guys?" He questioned, taking in our filthy appearance.

"On a mission." Bob replied cheerfully.

"WHAT?!" Mr. Davenport demanded, causing us all to step back a bit.

"It's okay." Bob hastened to reassure him. "Don't worry. We didn't help anyone."

"Calla, Leo, how could you two take them on a mission without my permission?" Mr. Davenport demanded.

Both of them looked like they were about to object, but Spin beat them to the punch. "No, they didn't take us on a mission." He said quickly. "They saved us. It was all my fault. If it wasn't for Calla and Leo, we wouldn't be standing here right now."

"Yeah, we'd probably still be stuck in that quicksand pit." I wrinkled my nose in disgust. Mr. Davenport looked at them, surprised.

"Is that true?" He asked. Calla nodded.

"Well, we don't want to brag but…" she glanced at Leo. "But we were there. And we were awesome."

"Alright then. Wow." Mr. Davenport looked impressed. He looked at us. "You three head over to the capsule dorms and get cleaned up. We'll discuss this later."

"Yes sir." We nodded and started down the hall. I stopped by the doorway though and listened in on the rest of the conversation.

"Wow Leo," Mr. Davenport put his hands on Leo's shoulder as Calla walked away, presumably to go find her boyfriend. "It sounds like you really stepped up, and acted like a true bionic hero."

I smiled. Leo deserved the praise. "I think it's time we bump you up a color." Mr. Davenport continued.

Leo's eyes widened. "Really?" He exclaimed. "Yes!"

Suddenly, Bob walked out from the hydroloop. I frowned. Hadn't he just passed me on the way down to the boy's dorms?

"Bob, I thought I told you to go down to the dorms." Mr. Davenport stated. Bob nodded.

"You told that to Bob, but I'm not Bob." He pressed a button on his neck and transformed into a short, red haired lady that vaguely reminded me of a leprechaun. Maybe Kieran hadn't lost his mind after all.

"Ah! Who let that in here?" Leo screamed, eyes wide. "Stay away, evil woman!"

Mr. Davenport stepped in front of Leo. "Perry, where'd you get hat cyber cloak?"

"From your equipment room." This 'Perry' woman replied. "Which, by the way, is still not secure. You know, if I was your head of security, I could have stopped those three runts from sneaking out and no one would have to know that you wear these."

I didn't know what was more offensive – that she called me a runt, or that someone was crazy enough to create those atrocious pyjamas.

Mr. Davenport snatched the PJs back from her. "You're not going to stop this until I give you this job, are you?"

"Nope." Perry smirked. "And I've got nothing but time. The average lifespan of a Perry is 112 years. And I'm one of the healthy ones."

If that was healthy, I didn't want to see an unhealthy Perry. "Okay, fine." Mr. Davenport agreed reluctantly. "You win. You're hi…hired."

Judging by the look on Leo's face, that wasn't such a good idea. Perry, however, looked very pleased with herself.

Said boy started walking towards the hydroloop. "Leo, where are you going?" Mr. Davenport asked.

"To bury myself in quicksand!" He exclaimed, panic edging into his tone.

"Rio?" I started, surprised at the sound of my name. I spun around to face Adam, who was frowning at me. Well, my mud covered attire.

"A-Adam!" I stuttered. God, I looked like crap. He probably thought I did, anyway. But he just raised an eyebrow.

"Rough day?" He asked. I nodded. "You alright?"

"I'm okay." I assured him. He smiled then, a real wide smile.

"Well, I know how to make it better." He told me. I raised an eyebrow, curious. "Get changed, then meet me on the roof at ten o'clock."

"Aren't Sebastian and Chase going some sort of virtual simulator demo?" I asked, confused. He grimaced.

"Trust me, that's something you don't want to try. They have evil monkeys." I decided to take his word on that. "Now, c'mon. Please?"

"Fine. I'll meet you on the roof at ten." I agreed.

Xxx

"Adam?" I called, stepping onto the roof. After getting dressed into some normal clothes – a light blue blouse and a white skirt that Calla insisted I borrow – I'd made my way to the roof.

"Wow." I turned to see Adam sitting on a blanket on the roof, also dressed in nice, non-uniform clothes. Man, that boy looked good in a t-shirt. "You look great."

"Thanks." I sat down beside him, finally noticing the tray of strawberries and chocolate dip. There was also a telescope next to us, the stars twinkling brightly in the sky. "Strawberries?"

"Kieran said it was your favourite." He replied, smiling at me hopefully.

"I love them." I leaned forward, and grabbed one. Playing with it in my hands. "So, what is this exactly?"

"Our first date." Adam replied, a confidence in his tone. I smiled at that. Yeah, I liked that. His grin grew a second later and he nodded upwards. "Check it out."

When I looked up, I could see a comet flying through the air, a bright streak in the sky. "Make a wish." I murmured. He smirked.

"I've already got what I want." He replied, leaning in and pressing his lips against mine. For such a playful, roughhousing boy, his kiss was surprisingly gentle and deep. And I wondered how tonight could get any better.

Sebastian's POV

"Show time." I muttered to myself, looking around. This had to go off perfectly if I wasn't going to get caught. And I really didn't want to get caught.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Chase exclaimed, stepping onto a raised bench in the middle of the training room. The entire school was gathered to see our simulator. Well, most of the school. Rio and Adam were nowhere to be seen, but that didn't really matter to much to us. We already had a good idea of what they were doing. "Chase Davenport and Sebastian…" He trailed off before continuing, "…Last Name to be Determined, proudly present to you the future of bionic education. The bionic training simulator. Now to demonstrate, we'll need a volunteer."

As most people had seen what we did to Adam, there were no volunteers. Good, just the way I wanted it. "How about Mr. Davenport?" I suggested. "I mean, he is the reason we're all here."

Davenport looked surprised, but merely smiled. "What? Me, be the center of attention? I couldn't." Even as he said this, he jumped onto the simulator platform.

"Go ahead and power up the mainframe." I told him. He nodded.

"Alrighty." He reached forward, pressed the button, and…POW! The machine blasting him into the air, Davenport hit the far wall, hitting the ground hard.

"Mr. Davenport!" Bree cried. She, Leo, Chase, Jaden, and Calla ran towards him.

"Big D, are you alright?" Leo asked when he didn't get up.

"I think so." Davenport groaned, rubbing his chest. Damn it! That blast was supposed to take care of things.

"I don't get it." Chase frowned, confused. "Our design was flawless."

"Focus on that later." Calla was already pulling Davenport to his feet. "Help me get him to the med bay."

"Good idea." I exclaimed, trying to sound helpful. "Go!"

I glared at them as they left, helping the injured man. "You took away my father. I'm gonna take away yours." I growled angrily.


End file.
